After a fantastic show from Editors at Falls Festival, it was with great anticipation that I moved around the burgeoning Palace crowd, listening to the local duo Big Scary rock out. Around stairs, down ramps, and across a packed floor, we tried to find a place in the male-dominated crowd. Facial hair and plaid shirts were abundant, myself included.

As the Editors arrived, the rising smoke mixed with the droning synth and Tom Smith’s deep vocals for the opener In This Light and On This Evening, also the title track from their latest LP released late last year. It worked well as it built to a crescendo of guitar and drums and really ramped up the crowd in preparation for one of their earlier offerings An End Has A Start, once again a title track, but this time off their second LP.

The crowd were interested, yet failed to show it in their movements due to the sardine-like nature of the main arena. I kept looking longingly up to the next level were there was only a single line of bodies pressed up against the railings. They didn’t really move around too much either though. Perhaps they were mirroring the group themselves. Only Smith seemed to be getting into it. I couldn’t help wondering where that voice escaped from when that wiry, awkwardly angular frame of his careened across the stage. Whereas Chris Urbanowicz and Russell Leetch just rocked steadily back and forth for most of the tunes, hidden behind a cool façade.

There was an easily recognisable divide amongst the crowd, with the old school fans rocking out (tightly) to most except the few new songs they played. This is probably due to the nature of their dramatically new sound, being more synth-driven and less guitar-based. This difference was obvious when they played a new song You Don’t Know Love, straight after one of the old favourites Blood from their immaculate debut The Back Room.

This is not to say that the new songs do not communicate or translate well live, they just sound as if they come from a different band. There were still some notable new tunes such as the strangely titled, yet with an easy-to-digest chorus Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool as well as Bricks and Mortar. The crowd were sated though, as they played almost every single and favourite off their first two albums such as Sparks, Munich, Bullets and Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors. The crowd favourite appeared to be The Racing Rats off An End Has A Start, with it’s driving guitars and drums. Even Urbanowicz and Leetch lost their cool exterior whilst playing this.

The crowd were left completely satisfied with a 4-song encore, finishing with the stomp-tastic Fingers in the Factories. With the frequency of visits from Editors, it shouldn’t be too long before we see this fantastic band once again.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE GIG HERE