Concert review: Spiritualized at New Century, 23/9/23

 Ladies and gentlemen were floating in space: Spiritualized, live at New Century, 23/9/23

Tonight's gig, at which Spiritualized will helm a concert heralding New Century Hall's first anniversary, is sold out. This fact is perhaps a clear indication of the grand cult following J. Spaceman's musical vehicle has managed to amass since the release of their 1992 debut LP to the present day. This fact could also be illustrative of the success that New Century, a stunning and spacious renovated ballroom, has enjoyed thus far.

Both possibilities surely stand true, and what's more: with both elements soon to coalesce - dazzling lights on course to collide with the eclectic and shimmering sound of Spiritualized - an unforgettable evening is certainly in store.

New Century Hall's glimmering interior

Particularly exciting for me, in the run up to this concert, was the prospect of crossing off the venue this night is commemorating from my list of Manchester gig locations to discover. Weirdly enough, my first impression of the hall itself is that, while retaining the vibrant atmosphere of the Ritz and the Academy, it simultaneously wields a sense of intimacy mirrored by the similarly old-looking but recently-built Stoller Hall. 

Needless to say, New Century could easily be in the running for the best concert venue in Manchester - and that's me speaking of a place which has just turned 1 year old - what with how adeptly it balances a vast openness with a feeling of oneness experienced, if not by all attendees, then by myself, with the venue.

As concertgoers swarmed into the fluorescent, wood-panelled space, they will have seen dotted about the place an A4 sheet of paper bearing warnings of 'flashing lights,' 'strobe effects' and such permeating the 2-hour-long show. One look to the stage and, contrary to what was foreshadowed, a rather lulling display was there to greet them - bright specks of white, dimming and glowing from a wall of black, behind the array of instruments before it.

The sight alone, enough to make a guy feel as though he's floating in space...

Spiritualized, in full swing

With a sea of fans swelling in anticipation, the faces of younger supporters blending in amongst those of long-time followers of the band in their shared sense of excitement, Spiritualized took their places on stage around 10 minutes after their expected arrival time of 8:30. 

In my pre-show notes, I wrote of expecting a 'lively and interesting character' with regard to J. Spaceman and the music of his I'd heard up until then. I can definitively say that my latter assumption was on point. The constant of the group, Spaceman - real name Jason Pierce - channelled Scott Walker in his donning of sunglasses in the enclosed room, only furthering the enigmatic aura that has formed around him since his membership of short-lived psychedelic outfit Spacemen 3 in the late 1980s.

Spaceman certainly embodied the image of the more subdued and contemplative frontman, however, as without a word he and the band barrelled straight into the first song of the night, Hey Jane; one of two songs played from their 2012 record 'Sweet Heart Sweet Light' across the expansive 17-song set. As far as gig openers go, this track was suitably bombastic and fast-paced, mirroring in structure the classic 12-bar-blues tracks that had, just minutes ago, blared from the hall's speakers. 

Hey Jane also allowed for a grand first demonstration of the sheer breadth of Spiritualized as a live act: as the strumming of guitarists Tony 'Doggen' Foster and John Coxon, organ/keyboard inflections of Greg Coulson, Starsailor bassist James Stelfox's hypnotic rhythms, Kevin Bales' raucous thumping of drums, Spaceman's timeless crooning and, the cherries topping this phenomenal cake of a line-up, three fantastic backing singers (whose names, to my frustration, don't seem to be discoverable anywhere online.)

What followed was an onslaught of exhilarating performances. Spaceman and co were explosive as they relayed bangers like She Kissed Me (And It Felt Like A Hit) and Shine A Light; the former's heavy guitar distortion and immediately immense drums inducing a musical high in the crowd and the latter's gradual yet incredibly gratifying crescendo into cacophony enveloping us in a wave of sound. 

The next song, I'm Coming Home Again - taken from their most recent LP, 2020's Everything Is Beautiful - took me by surprise. For context: I had only listened to this album in full a day prior to this concert, and though some tracks stuck with me (see The Mainline Song/The Lockdown Song), I was left with a feeling of relative neutrality towards the album upon first listen. That all changed with this show. This particular performance, as with Best Thing You Never Had (The D Song) that appeared later on in the setlist, had me reeling with delight - lost in the controlled chaos of the melodies, revelling in grooves inspired by meandering basslines and tambourine hits. 

In respect of that experience, I would argue that Spiritualized are better live than they are on wax - not in the sense their effervescent sound not being well-captured in the studio, but in that the grandiosity of Spiritualized compositions are so well-suited to the live medium. The big band feel that is conveyed clearly in the recording of the soulful Sail On Through, for example, borders on transcendental when Spaceman and the singers harmonise before us.

The band drowning the crowd in sound, the singers standing silent

Another fascinating aspect of tonight's show was how quickly I came to realise the sheer impact the music of Spiritualized can have on the people who hear it when played in a raw, live format. Having briefly turned around to scan the intent faces of those around me during Soul On Fire - one of the few tracks of the evening that I wasn't too keen on - I was taken aback by the amount of people I witnessed silently swaying, with eyes closed and smiles wide. Given the overt biblical references found in many a Spiritualized composition, with So Long You Pretty Thing's central refrain of 'help me, Lord/help me, Jesus' being just one of the gospel-inspired yet atheist Spaceman's allusions to religious themes within his music, this revelation probably isn't very revelatory. 

That palpable effect had by the sound on the listener, however, is a key factor underpinning this band's brilliance: in its seamless mixture of myriad genres (inexplicably combining synth-pop, classical, indie and elements of the avant-garde) presided over by a distinctive vocal delivery and each musician's seemingly effortless control exercised over their instruments, Spiritualized naturally put the 'spiritual' of their name into every note they play. 

Quite frankly, it is inconceivable for New Century Hall's 1st anniversary to have been celebrated in a way better than this. Topped off with by an encore ending in the rallying cry of Come Together, no less!

The spaceman who fell to earth...Jason Pierce