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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! |
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Dropping the Bomb – A night out with Faithless
Reported by Matt Dahl
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Submitted 11-04-07 11:59
Some bands are little more than flash in the pans, one hit wonders you might say. Dance music, especially on the more commercial side, is littered with the hopes, dreams and follies of groups and producers alike. But every now and again comes a group that transcends the badly dubbed rubbish pumped out by music factories around the world. Faithless are one such group and Matt Dahl went to experience them and find out why.
On the face of it, 1995 wasn’t a great year for music. East 17, Robson & Jerome, Rednex and Celine Dion all (dis)graced the top spot in the UK. Two brothers from Manchester were busy slagging a group of mockneys from Colchester and the horror that was the Spice Girls was waiting just round the corner. But despite the best efforts of Whigfield or The Outhere Brothers, the situation was far from lost. Everything but the Girl released the Todd Terry remix of Missing, Josh Wink unleashed Higher State of Consciousness and in July, Faithless entered the UK charts at number 30 with their first track Salva Mea.
Fast forward twelve years, Oasis have pretty much run out of Beatles songs to rip off, Whigfield is most likely stacking shelves at the Copenhagen branch of Tescos and the only time anyone even mentions East 17 is when one of its members is trying to run themselves over and thus depriving anyone else of the immense satisfaction of doing it. Faithless on the other hand, are now regarded as one of the greatest dance acts ever, with Insomnia being voted being voted “The Greatest Anthem of All Time” by MTV Dance, and are currently on the UK leg of their sell out tour ‘Bombs’. A few Wednesday’s ago they played to a capacity crowd at Wembley Arena, this is what it was like.
Work commitments and a delayed flight meant that I only arrived at Wembley to catch the tail end of the support act Calvin Harris, but after listening to their last few songs, it was no great loss. Shortly after they finished the standing area really began to pack out and the increase in numbers brought with it the tension of anticipation. With the dimming of the main lights the noise of the crowd steadily built, the first keys of music bringing a huge cheer of approval. By the time Cass Foxx took to the stage and sang the first few lines from To all New Arrivals even the hairs on the back of the hairs on my arms were standing. The last time I felt that good, I think baby oil featured in the equation.
The decibel scale quotes the figure of 160Db for the instant perforation of an ear drum and, while luckily my ear drums are still intact, when Maxi Jazz entered the stage through smoke and lights to the opening strains of Insomnia, the roar from the crowd must have got very close to that level. Deafening doesn’t even come close to describing it.
With Insomnia quickly dispatched and the crowd really fired up, it wasn’t long before I recognised the beats to my personal favourite, God is DJ. Now for anyone who hasn’t heard the live version, the difference between it and the album / single is unreal. It started off with Maxi rapping almost acapella style before building into the hugely energetic main body of the song, with the crowd singing along, finally ending in a massive crescendo of guitars, drums and keyboards. Add to that a light show that would put Pink Floyd to shame and you’ve got yourself on hell of a crowd pleaser. Maxi took to it with his usual enigmatic style and by the end of the song even the bar staff were bouncing along to it.
With the crowd so hyped, I found the direction that the night then took peculiar, to say the least. From such a big, happy and energetic song they went into Bring My Family Back. Despite the inspired lyrics it’s quite a sombre track and quite depressing. However Mass Destruction was up next and it got the crowd jumping and clapping again. LSK took to the stage next for a very mellow rendition of Everything Will Be Alright Tomorrow and by the time the tranquil A Kind Of Peace was being performed by Cass Foxx, I would have killed for a comfy sofa, a fluffy duvet so I could close my eyes and drift off. A great feeling for a lazy Sunday afternoon at home, but not for a busy Wednesday night in Wembley arena.
For me the next 20 or so minutes, which included the songs, What About Love?, Bombs, Music Matters and Dirty Old Man seemed like they had been shoe horned in and lacked the fluid transitions between songs that the rest of the concert had. That said it wasn’t without its high points, a stunning display on the guitar during Drifting Away left little old me, who’s attempting to learn the infernal instrument, in total awe and with a slight twinge of jealously.
If the night had lost its direction, it was brought firmly back on course when Maxi and LSK took to the stage for I Want More, with a topless Maxi, who incidentally turns 50 this year, bouncing around the stage (and on top of the speakers) like a mutant cross between Tigger and Zebedee. With the crowds full attention it was time for the biggest crowd pleaser of the night, We Come One. When it comes to crowd interaction, it is a song that’s hard to beat. With Sister Bliss hammering out those very distinctive cords, Maxi whipping up a storm, the strobes going mental and 9000+ people jumping around and screaming “ONE” in unison, it’s enough to give me goose pimples, even days after the event.
With that the band left the stage only to return a couple of minutes later for their encore, Mohammad Ali, the homage to the great boxer and finishing with the song that started it all, Salva Mea.
So a great night then? Well yes and no. I think the sheer size of Wembley arena means that so much of the atmosphere and stage presence the band produce is lost. To see them at their electrifying best, you have to get really lucky and see them at a really intimate venue such as Shepherds Bush Empire. That said there is no doubt that this gig was proof that even after twelve years, an eternity in dance music terms, Faithless are still firmly the best live dance act going. Without a doubt they are one of the few must see bands in the world and with them playing in Hyde Park and headlining at Global Gathering this summer, you’d be a fool to miss them.
Photos courtesy of Daf. Not to be reproduced without prior permission.
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Other Features By Matt Dahl:
Tiësto's opening party @ Privilege: Reviewed
What a Privilege. An interview with Tiësto.
Tiesto’s Elements Of Life: reviewed
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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: Nice review, was a really good concert, which I could have it on a smaller scale, any convincing them for my front room?? That Max, what a body for a 50 year old, so much energy!! 
But their new album iz A ATOM BOMB...Nothing danceable released this year by any other doesn't even comes close to this !!!