Spiritualized 

Live reviews

• Spiritualized

  Things to know about a Spiritualized show:

  1. There is usually no conversation from the stage other than perhaps an acknowledgement of the band at the finale

  2. Singer and sole permanent member, Jason 'Spaceman' Pierce will usually wear sunglasses and betray no emotion

  3. There is usually a background hum along with a subtle throbbing synth sound running through the set that at first sounds like a feedback problem; just go with it

  Spiritualized music leans heavily in two seemingly disparate directions:

  1. Spiritual or Gospel Music like the universally-known 'Oh Happy Day'

  2. Addiction and Drug Use It's only when you listen to the lyrics you realize it's hard to discern whether they refer to being in a state of Religious Rapture or being Stoned.

  There are also lyrical references that can be construed as both missing your true love or Jonesing for a fix. When not singing genuinely heartbreaking ballads to a long lost love the band will kick into overdrive and head into balls-to-the-wall space-rock, cliched phrases and everything. Great stuff.

  Sometimes they play as a straight up 5- to 8-piece rock band, but at other times they bring a gospel choir along for the ride and that's when you know it's going to be something special. It all works so incredibly well, and provides an almost religious experience. I took my friend to see them and she was in tears at the beauty of it all. She went a second time and was blown away to a greater degree when she realized it hadn't been a one-off and they are just that good.

  Final thought: If they come to town to play their seminal album: 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space', do whatever it takes to see that show.

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  by cleanden

• Warwickshire space rockers Spiritualized have amassed a solid following since their career began in the early 90s. One of the reasons they are so acclaimed is the expansive live show that the band has developed to accompany their music.

  They really do capitalise on the ability to take the recorded work and reimagine it as something grander on the big stage. The crowd is incredibly enthusiastic throughout and really enjoy taking the often unpredictable ride as the band recreate the likes of 'Let It Flow' in really interesting ways. They thank the audience sincerely for the support and allowing them artistic freedom throughout their long career, there are huge cheers for material taken from 'Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space' as this is considered something of an iconic release. The band truly proves that innovation is well and truly alive in the field of rock.

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  by sean-ward

• Wow! If I had to give a one-word review that would be it.

  I had never seen Spiritualized before though I had been listening to albums for years and I honestly don't know what took me so long.

  Right from the first track they just absolutely nailed it with the new stuff fitting in seamlessly with classics such as come together and stay with me. By the end of the evening, everyone was standing arms held aloft, clapping and cheering an absolutely breathtaking performance.

  I have been lucky enough to see some amazing gigs in the last 11 months including Godspeed you! Black Emperor, Thee Oh Sees, Mogwai, and Kiran Leonard but this is arguably the best of the lot.

  Oh and the venue was all that and a bag of chips as well! Well staffed bars, clean loos and it was so easy to get to which all added to the evening.

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  by karl-rickman

• Spaceman seems increasingly grounded as time goes on - seated for the entire performance, either playing keys or acoustic guitar. The show was good - switching between the aching beauty of songs like Mary and even Broken Heart and the strident, rocky rev of Come Together, decorated with the obligatory strobe shower. They did, however, omit some songs I would have seen as fundamental. Even a couple from Electricity, Cop Shoot Cop, Cool Waves, Hey Jane, Won’t Get to Heaven, The Straight and the Narrow would have been acceptable, but none appeared. The crowd seemed sparse and reluctant to get too involved, but, like Spaceman himself, his fans are obviously also getting tired and worn out themselves.

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  by rob-macintosh

• Ive seen Spiritualized play over 14 times. I make it a point to go as one does commit to their religious congregation. Ive loved every album Jason has put out and have always been in line to get the 1st copy since he was still the other half of Spacemen 3. And yay! His drones,tones and getting stoned have been the better part of my life. Advice:never miss a Spiritualized show.

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  by juan-joshfifarek-bau

• I was blown away by the intense visualizations, and wasn't expecting it given the less psychedelic nature of some of their later works. The set itself was well structured and saw some of my fav songs!

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  by robin-bastien

• Absolutely Perfect. As amazing a performance as I could have dreamed of. If I'd known it would be this good I would have bought another ticket for the second performance.

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  by jonathan-flintham