Editors at Brixton Academy

To be honest I only went to this gig as I realised I was at loose end this particular Thursday night. I have see Editors often enough and didn't think I could persuade anyone to go with me. But basically I enjoy gigs, so why not?

Well one reason why not is that Brixton Academy's security has gotten ridiculous. It had been closed for nearly two years because two people were crushed to death in a stampede at some Nigerian dance act where loads of big thugs turned up without tickets and rushed the security. Having been happily going to Academy gigs for decades with no issues I can confirm the problem was not the security but the act booked and the type of people it would attract.

I kid you not, I had to argue with security to let me bring in, not weapons, but my cough sweets. Because obviously what took the crowd over the edge at the stampede was he availability of strepsils. What else? They even carefully examined my cycling gloves. So now security is just incredibly slow. And also, doors open now before doors open. I presume to allow for the ridiculously slow security checks. So if you turn up when the ticket says doors are open, as I did, you find there is already a crowd inside.

Anyway, the upshot, since acts don't come on any earlier, is just a longer wait before there is anything to see. And first thing to see was a band called 86TVs. Who it turns out are three guitar playing brothers backed by an extraneous (and exuberant) drummer. And if you had never heard of them before (as I hadn't), and was surprised at that as they didn't look very young, a bit of research turned up that they are half of the long defunct Maccabees (and I do have a Maccabees album in my collection). Anyway, they sounded fine, but rather come into the territory of indie landfill.

But then to the main course, Editors. Now I confess I haven't been completely keeping up with this band. They now have a back catalogue of 7 albums but I don't think I have bought the last couple. This concert had the complete span of their output, plus an excellent cover version of Adamski's Killer. I love it when bands do covers but in their own style with distinctively different vocals as here.

The band are in their forties now, which I think is a bit of a sweet spot. Bands of this vintage tend to be very good at what they do, without yet looking and sounding like a nostalgia act going through the motions. Tom Smith on lead vocals still has that edge.

They rounded of their set with my favourite track, Papillon, saving the rather more poignant Smokers outside the Hospital Doors for the encore.  Tom Smith's parting shot to us all was "Thanks for listening to our fucking miserable music". That is exactly what a lot of us like😀

Justin Lockey on lead guitar

Tom White on vocals with the now portly Russell Leetch on bass