Orbital - o2 Academy, Bristol - 31st March

Although ticket prices for gigs are a bone of contention in some quarters these days Orbital are, in their own way, offering excellent value for money on their latest tour.

Ostensibly to promote brand new album Optical Delusion, there’s also the small matter of their 30 Something compilation released last year, for which the duo repurposed many of their tracks to highlight their evolution in the live arena.

Their attitude has always been that of subversive punk under the guise of electronica and, where some trips down memory lane feel as much, the more recent work demonstrates that age hasn’t softened them.

The set opens with Smiley, all jungle beat and wonky modulated synths that, retooled or not, instantly transports one back to a different age.

The spoken word samples, including the iconic ‘this is acid, man’ taken from 1988 documentary A Trip Round Acid House, were once revolutionary (the film covered a group of young adults during Thatcher’s ongoing war against the underground rave scene) but are now, sadly, nostalgic, even if the house piano still shines. No fools of course, the brothers are equally aware of the passing of time, the track concluding with a simple ’30 Years Later…’.

https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2023/04/review-orbital-bristol-academy/