Live at The Point Depot, Dublin
Wax Magazine, June 1996
When Orbital stole the show at the Glastonbury Festival in '94 one wondered if they would ever better that achievement. One year later, at Ireland's Feile Festival, they did. Tonight, as they play at their first ever gig in Dublin, both they and the 8,000 strong crowd are pumped up for what should be Ireland's dance event of '96. As we enter, David Holmes, who blew the minds of everyone who heard him in his new monthly slot in the Pod the previous evening, is at it again. With a spot-on selection of banging techno, he has the crowd at fever pitch by the time Orbital take centre stage.
The question on my lips is: can this gig get any better? Two hours later the expression 'does the Pope wear a silly hat?' springs to mind. Orbital don't assault the crowd with full-on techno craziness, rather they assuage them with a selection of tunes that create a musical rollercoaster ride. The Point is a massive venue, and at times through the evening, some of the more ambient tones dished out by the Brothers Hartnoll seem to lose their way. Those that don't have a hugely catalytic effect drawing the crowd together with beautifully timed drum breaks. One senses that this performance is about more than playing what the crowd expects to hear.
Yes, we get 'Belfast' and 'Halcyon', yes we are treated to arguably the best vocal break hitherto inserted in an electronic recording, as the PA bellows out 'Peace or Annihilation.'
All the favourites are present, but woven together in a manner that frequently causes both hearts and minds to swoop and soar. I don't mean to overindulge in superlatives as there are moments when the momentum slackens due to over-extended ambient breaks. When it kicks, however, it does so in big style, I shit you not! The latest release, 'The Box', for example, is introduced in a decidedly downtempo manner, but builds into one of the most memorable tunes of the evening, leaving not a stationary limb in the house. As the tempo builds and builds towards the end of the set, one feels that something big is about to happen and it does. The Butthole Surfers sample 'If you see your mom tell her Satan, Satan, Satan' has a more profound effect on the crowd than a personal appearance by the Prince of Darkness himself. As the beat kicks in, if you'll pardon the pun, all hell breaks loose and no words exist to describe this moment. Orbital leave the stage, their job well and truly done, to be followed by Carl Cox who tops off the night with a stomping set. Was this the dance event of '96? It'll certainly take some beating.
Paul Cunningham- This review originally appeared in the June 1996 issue of Wax.
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