The eclectic theme of the show continues, as Tom selects a semi-controversial track from the past to play acoustically on Instagram. He's taken a song that has been divisive in the past and added a brand new third take, just to keep things interesting. The Sting has baggage. It was originally a song that was attempted by Editors 1 when Chris was still their guitarist, and oh my goodness it was dark. It had a creeping electronic menace to it, and the lyrics may well have been a reflection of its author's state of mind at the time...or not (I've never met Tom so this is pure speculation). It was played live, most notably on at the band's Teenage Cancer Trust show which was when? Well, this is where things get weird. It was on the 26th March 2011. Yes, exactly a decade to the day later, Tom chose this song as the latest entry in his acoustic gig that's lasting all month. If you'd like to listen to that version use this link:- https://lemmingarchive.blogspot.com/2017/05/teenage-cancer-trust-royal-albert-hall.html The track went on to become a prisoner of the abandoned Flood sessions, and was later re-recorded in a new form and without the more obvious footprints of Editors' former guitarist on it. Now, we have a brand new take for consideration that will offer a respite to those hardcore fans who either down hard on one side of the fence in terms of their listening preferences (most of us will have our favourite rendition). There's an MP3 of the performance at the Archive available using this link:- https://lemmingarchive.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-sting-live-on-instagram-26th-march.html Enjoy the music ;) For more Editors stuff, drop by the Archive https://lemmingarchive.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-archive-index.html brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love ) x ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEzzcBH9vU0

What a show. You folks in attendance for this gig in Cologne should be proud of yourselves. There's something about an audience recording done by a genuine fan of the band that can propel it into a different class in terms of quality. Gary has shown that multiple times already, and now we get to experience it again courtesy of a returning friend of the Archive, Sven. He recorded the band's show in Cologne on the 25th March 2018 and it's ridiculous. Seriously. Listen to the intro and Hallelujah (So Low) and rest easy that the standard remains that high for the rest of the gig. The drums during the outro to Marching Orders actually sound like golf balls falling on a tin roof, and you can hear the subtle bends in Justin's guitar so clearly during the closing bars of ERM=BD. I don't know how Sven and Gary do it without accessing the soundboard, but to get a recording this good from a position in the audience is just astonishing. Thanks again, Sven. We're lucky as fans to have folks like you in our ranks ;) This won't really require a hard-sell on my part, as the crowd and the band working together make this concert one of those ones that you just have to hear. Like the song says:- "This old town still gets out of line..." Cologne did, and in a beautifully noisy way. Enjoy the music ;) The Setlist Intro 0:00 Hallelujah (So Low) 1:03 A Ton of Love 5:02 Formaldehyde 9:05 Darkness at the Door 13:11 Violence 16:24 No Harm 20:16 Lights 27:29 Blood 30:14 Munich 33:56 An End Has a Start 37:51 In This Light and on This Evening 41:50 Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool 46:05 Nothingness 50:55 Belong 56:28 Sugar 1:02:27 The Racing Rats 1:07:00 Ocean of Night 1:11:34 No Sound but the Wind (Tom solo) 1:19:12 Cold 1:23:28 Magazine 1:27:14 Papillon 1:31:27 Marching Orders 1:39:42 For a complete collection of FLAC audio files for this show https://lemmingarchive.blogspot.com/2018/03/echoic-memories-of-cologne-25th-march.html And for lots more Editors stuff, drop by the Archive https://lemmingarchive.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-archive-index.html brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love ) x ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui_Bvb96I4s

In the past, people have moshed during No Sound but the Wind? Yep, they did. Wait, you seem unconvinced? Stick around... Firstly, apologies for the sub-par screen quality. This is the original source material I have and it's as good as it got, I'm afraid. Overlook the flaws and you're in for a rare treat. This show is one of the last ones to feature the original line up of Editors. 2 months later they would play their final show together, and then 6 months after that Chris would be gone. It's also one of those few times you get to see Two Hearted Spider being played in its early form. I've written about this at length in multiple posts at the blog so I won't go over old ground here. What I will confidently and proudly state is that this take of 2HS is my favourite one above all others from the 2011 live campaign, with the performance at Werchter a year later in its new structure being the most effectively delivered one since. Both are peak moments of their respective eras, but what intrigues me the most is what that early arrangement could have become given a little more time and space. Some musicians thrive in the studio, but never quite reach those heights when they play live. My Bloody Valentine and New Order being a couple of examples. Their magic is crafted and contained digitally. Editors, however, are primarily a live band. Their abilities and techniques improve the longer they're out on the road, and it also allows for them to reshape and remould their work into new forms in front of an audience. Because of that, it makes me curious as to how 2HS would have sounded after a year and a half of being played in that style that featured Chris? It was great back then, but I think it could have developed the dominance and presence that later songs like Frankenstein seemed to be blessed with right from the start. It's an ever-present pain that won't abate because we'll never know. I would also add that similarly to the current roster of Editors with Justin and Elliott, those four individuals in 2011 really become the band when they played together. I say that because from watching them together here you wouldn't guess that there was a storm coming. Nobody is dialling in their performance, nobody is giving the impression they'd rather be somewhere else. They put on a great show in front of a very appreciative audience as they always do. Given what we know about their impending fracture, that's fascinating to me. I've mentioned the idea of compartmentalising before but I do believe they had that skill, and that whatever role and shapes they occupy on a stage are removed from those in a studio or rehearsal environment. The foundations were crumbling but they made the house that was built on them look pretty all the same. Also featured in this show is the full band version of No Sound but the Wind, as song that went on to be released...a few more times (ho ho) in various forms. If you grew up of the Werchter piano take then this will be a change of pace for you. It's a nice example of all four Editors working together, and it allows Ed to really stretch himself as a musician in a way that the more well known rendition doesn't. I get the feeling that NSBTW was a song that became an unsolvable puzzle, in much the same way The Pulse did later on. That final piece that completed the picture and offered the solution to hours of focus and searching always remained elusive, leading to each of those compositions being attempted multiple times before being gently released from the grip of artistic endeavour. Settled aside with love..and mild frustration. Enjoy the music ;) The Setlist 1. Camera 0:00 2. Bones 5:49 3. Bullets 10:30 4. An End Has A Start 13:51 5. Two Hearted Spider 17:58 6. You Don't Know Love 25:25 7. The Racing Rats 27:07 8. All Sparks 31:29 9. NSBTW 35:10 10. ERM=BD 39:52 11. Munich 44:50 12. Smokers 50:00 13. TWOTW 55:13 14. ITLAOTE 58:34 15. Bricks And Mortar 1:02:52 16. Papillon 1:09:20 17 Fingers In The Factories 1:15:05 For more Editors stuff, drop by the Archive https://lemmingarchive.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-archive-index.html brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love ) x ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfuS2zIoaUA

Wondering what to listen to this weekend? How about another great recording from the Archive's number one microphone-wielding audio ninja? Special thanks to you, Gary, for capturing this way back when. This may be one of your best. This is a show from Germany in June of 2009 on the ITLAOTE campaign, and we should remember that this gig was a full 4 month prior to the release of that record. Appropriately, four of the songs on this setlist were from Editors' third album, with the band undertaking the traditional practice of trying things out live to see how they fit. It's still peculiar hearing Bricks and Mortar as a set opener, given the finality of those last lines where Tom hopes life is good for you. That track has always had the feel of a set-closer to me, or at least the prelude to an encore break. It's also difficult to remember just what an odd experience it was hearing ERM=BD in the early days, after the steady diet of guitar heavy Editors we'd been devouring up until this point. Papillon is almost in its larval stage here (see what i did there?) and, now that we're all used o the extended Elliott guided version, it does seem to start a little reservedly and end quite suddenly. And The Big Exit? It still sounds creepy and it makes me weirdly anxious whenever I listen to it. There's some pop trivia attached to this show, as it was here that the band first learned of the death of Michael Jackson. True story. Aside from the obviously glorious music, listen out for the wonderful sound of Mr Smith briefly battering the shit out of his guitar and the piano at the same time. It happens during the last 30 seconds of Fall. Enjoy the music ;) The Setlist Bricks and Mortar 0:00 Lights 6:25 The Racing Rats 9:00 Bullets 13:13 Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool 16:37 Munich 21:24 When Anger Shows 26:30 Camera 32:29 Bones 37:43 An End Has a Start 42:12 The Big Exit 46:29 Smokers 51:12 Fall 56:21 Encore You Are Fading 1:04:17 Fingers in the Factories 1:10:01 Papillon 1:14:18 For more Editors stuff, drop by the Archive https://lemmingarchive.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-archive-index.html brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love ) x ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGmUy40GEAg