J Spaceman @ Queen's Hall
Spiritualized's soulful songcraft has never been so exquisitely exposed
| 11 Jan 2007
The younger generations may have turned their backs on pews and pulpits, but the scenes of unfettered devotion at a former church on this November night show that collective spirituality is still a very real phenomenon – in a musical sense at least. But as all gig-goers know, before redemption comes the support act. Lupen Crook is a hacked-off young Londoner who strikes his acoustic guitar violently and spits out lyrics that aim to provoke as much as they proselytise. Impressively passionate if melodically limited, he cannot help but engage an audience with his raw presence.
Of course it is 'the Rev' Jason Pierce, lead singer of psych-rockers Spiritualized and back from the brink of serious illness, who is the reason for the night's adoration. His unplugged renditions of past and future material - flanked by string quartet, gospel choir and Spiritualized guitarist Doggen on Fender Rhodes - are too beguiling to support the formal barriers that the classical set-up might otherwise erect – the unchecked exclamations of 'C'mon the Spaceman' come thick and fast. Without the 100-piece orchestra or blinding lightshow, the spine-tingling fragility of songs like 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space' is only emphasised. Spiritualized's soulful songcraft has never been so exquisitely exposed, and covers of recent collaborator Daniel Johnson's equally religious fare merge seamlessly into this extraordinary, near-cathartic event. [Nick Mitchell]
Of course it is 'the Rev' Jason Pierce, lead singer of psych-rockers Spiritualized and back from the brink of serious illness, who is the reason for the night's adoration. His unplugged renditions of past and future material - flanked by string quartet, gospel choir and Spiritualized guitarist Doggen on Fender Rhodes - are too beguiling to support the formal barriers that the classical set-up might otherwise erect – the unchecked exclamations of 'C'mon the Spaceman' come thick and fast. Without the 100-piece orchestra or blinding lightshow, the spine-tingling fragility of songs like 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space' is only emphasised. Spiritualized's soulful songcraft has never been so exquisitely exposed, and covers of recent collaborator Daniel Johnson's equally religious fare merge seamlessly into this extraordinary, near-cathartic event. [Nick Mitchell]