In an  effort to branch out about here on The Coffey Filter I’ve asked my old friend Doug Whelan to write a review of Orbital’s recent gig in Dublin.  Enjoy!

Gig review: Orbital
Tripod, 13th November
Doug Whelan

“I wouldn’t say they’re becoming less popular; I would say that their appeal is becoming more selective.” Ian Faith, cock-eyed manager of Spinal Tap, could have been talking about Orbital with that famous line. Back in Dublin after an absence of five years, and in a venue considerably smaller than the good ol’ Point Theatre, they’re older, their audience is older and the brothers from Kent are certainly not going to be booked for the O2 any time soon. That’s probably a good thing.

There was a positive, expectant atmosphere among the predominantly male audience as half eight rolled around and when Orbital came on stage close to nine o’clock, to the menacing tones of 1997’s Out There Somewhere?, it was instantly clear that this was their real comeback gig. Sure, their barnstorming set on the Main Stage at Electric Picnic back in September was a hell of a party and could even have won the Hartnoll brothers a gaggle of new fans, but this was a gig that reminded everyone there why Orbital are, well, Orbital. It could have been five years’ break or it could have been one; to quote The Wire, “the King stay the King.”

There were knowing smiles and nods of approval among the hardcore fans when Out There Somewhere melded loudly into The Moebius, the first tune from Orbital’s self-titled first album, released all the way back in 1991 before crashing back into the joyous second part of Out There Somewhere. From then on it was business as usual, Phil jumping, dancing, punching the air and spinning round like an electro crucifix, while his little brother worked his arse off beside him, clearly doing the lion’s share of the performance. A trio from 1993’s Orbital II saw fan favourites Lush 3, Impact and Remind whip the crowd into a frenzy, before Satan reminded us all that it’s better to regret something you have done etc. Does anyone ever tire of that speech? Didn’t seem like it.

The beautiful Belfast was up next, whose heavy, steady breakbeat combined with opera singing had the more loved-up members of the audience swaying. It was back to business with their first single Chime. Their big finisher for many years, placing it here in the middle of the set could have confused some into thinking the gig was almost over. They could not have been more wrong.

Will Orbital release a new album once their comeback honeymoon is over? Given the lukewarm reception their swansong Blue Album got in 2004, some would prefer not to see them slip up again. But then the new track they played, which I’m calling Almost Home, suggests they do have something left in the tank that would show the likes of Calvin Harris and Tiesto a thing or two about producing dance music. The walls rattled and the venue’s tough-as-nails Funktion One sound system was tested to its limit for the bass-heavy and somewhat scary Know Where To Run. Halcyon + On + On took everyone back to the 80s with its infamous play on Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven is a Place on Earth and Bon Jovi’s Shot Through the Heart. Every track on the night had been tweaked and adapted, but this showed the most effort by the Hartnolls to rewrite their own music, sounding markedly different to the original version that was the centrepiece of their live show for so long.

By the time the encore came around, the crowd was very settled. Some were there to dance, others just to hear the music and One Perfect Sunrise followed by The Box had something for both camps. To close, the whole house dutifully doo’d and daa’d along to Dr. Who, but I thought they could have closed with something stronger. As brilliant as ‘Doctor?’ is (to use its proper title), it’s a novelty song underneath everything and might have been better off left out of the set altogether for once.

With the exception of the opening three tracks, this was pretty much a greatest hits set and, despite tweaks and reimaginings here and there, not to mention the adoring fans roaring their approval (proper order), there was nothing particularly new about what was on display. But then, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. A tremendous comeback that justified itself easily. Now what?

Setlist:
Out There Somewhere?
The Moebius
Out There Somewhere? Pt2
Lush 3
Impact
Remind
Satan
Belfast
Chime
(Unknown)
Know Where To Run
Halcyon + On + On

One Perfect Sunrise
The Box
Dr. Who