Satan Live
NME, 4 January 1997
A shit-faced New Yorker slams down his drink and yells, "Bring on the f---ing Bon Jovi song!"
Instead, however, a creepy hum seeps from the speakers, heralding that sinister little exchange between a cheery-voiced nutter and an inquisitive child. If you saw Orbital play any of their increasingly powerful live shows this year, you know exactly what happens next: "SATANSATANSATANSATAN!!!!" Let's just hope Mr New York Smartarse shat his pants in shock.
'Satan' is five years old but was re-tooled by Paul and Phil Hartnoll for their 1996 live set, becoming not so much a relic of their chunky electro past, but a HUGE STOMPING HEAVY METAL BASTARD of a show-stopper which scared the living arse of anyone within a five-mile radius. And that, fo course, is exactly what great rock'n'roll is about. Especially since, with its evil synthetic guitar belches and punishing nailbomb percussion, 'Satan' demands to be played VERY F---ING LOUDLY. Yes indeed, Granddad.
Sadly, though, you don't get the accompanying visual bombardment that strafed the Albert Hall from an upside-down crucifix of video screens back in May: snarling devil dogs, dead-eyed fascist thugs, night-black Stealth bombers sling into enemy airspace with their high-tech payloads of chemical death. No matter. Simply crank up 'Satan' while repeatedly smashing your head against the TV channel-changer every two seconds, and the brain-shredding sensory overload is pretty much the same. Warning: this technique is not recommended for the new Enya single.
There are three low-price CDs of 'Satan' and all are worth hearing, not just for the different versions of the main track, but for the farting Dalek symphony that is 'Out There Somewhere', the whoosing thermal currents of 'The Girl With The Sun In Her Head', and the toughened-up, hard-acid jabberings of 'Lush 3' and 'Chime'. Effectively, a live Orbital mini-album for £6 and a permanent record of the crowd-rocking slaphead supremos at the peak of their hypnotic powers. And no Bon Jovi either. Beelzebub himself couldn't offer you a better deal.
Stephen Dalton- The NME is published weekly and cost 85p.
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