sneaker:beater, on 22 May 2010 - 05:47 AM, said:

LusciousLucy, on 22 May 2010 - 07:39 AM, said:

Again, sorry for putting these posts on the chopping block for dissection!

In observation we've got a double whammy from 2 long-term fans within posts of each other who obviously love the Chems, saying the show's closing could use some work.

The times I've seen the Chems, they've given me an epic, hallmark send-off. The Sunshine Underground, Test and The Reel. You hear these songs in their set and you know it's almost time to say goodbye. The first time I saw the Chems, without ever having read a review or listened to a bootleg or anything - I knew when the end was near because I could literally feel it. So I don't know what it's like to experience an abrupt closer, or a gig ending with Chemical Beats, and therefore I don't know how this would make me feel.

I think it's cool when a band plays songs from their back catalog for the fans who've stuck with them since the early days (Chemical Beats, anyone?) It shoes their old stuff is still relevant and means something, and can work with new material. But with Further being played in its entirety, time is of the essence when playing other songs from their previous albums. That final note is so important. It's the band saying goodbye. I'm interested in hearing what would have made the ending less abrupt. And should the Chems resurrect the tradition of playing The Reel or something else that went off as a good, epic closer?

VMan, on 22 May 2010 - 09:50 AM, said:

Yummy! Chems and lemonade - Life Is Sweet

I wonder if the Thursday show didn't have an encore because of time constrictions, maybe they cannot play as late on week nights, anyone want to confirm or prove me wrong who was at the Friday show?

When I went to see them in '05 in Dublin (Marley Park, not thePoint) there was a pretty abrupt ending.
I remember being so excited for the gig, had spent the day drinking on the grass in the sunshine not paying any particular attention to anyone but our little group and running into a few mates I hadn't seen in a long time.

Then the gig kicked off just as it was darkening about 9.15. I was in such good form that day and all I could think about was seeing these guys set it off and above all else I wanted to see them play the 'Reel'...this is still my favourite song with 'Surface to Air' and 'The Sunshine Underground'.
But no sooner had it started than it was over...
The guys had to leave, the PA told us where to go and that was that. I have to admit, I was sorely disappointed. It was just so sudden and unexpected. The audience showed their appreciation to the Chems and those who felt a little stronger than I were pretty vocal in their disapproval of the 10.30 curfew in that part of town.

I purposely avoided going back to Marley Park for the next 4 years because of that, then last summer I couldn't fully let loose at Fatboy Slim as I felt he would have to stop at 10.30. If only someone had told me that they've come to a slightly better arrangement at the park since then and I got to hear the most amazing version of Sunset(Bird of Prey) as the encore.

So it really does hit hard when it's over like that. I felt the same way the first time I saw Prodigy live; 1 hour and a bit of full-on mayhem and hits then gone. I thought they were taking the piss but then I realised, they'd covered nearly everything I wanted to hear, so what was I complaining about? So when I saw them again last summer I knew what to expect and was happy..
..maybe that's the point I'm trying to make, If you have an idea of what to expect, you won't be disappointed.

anyway, i'm hungry.

Didn't seem like any chance of an encore on thursday night- some guy came on stage immediately after the bros left and started pulling wires out (with much booing from the crowd)..
It did feel abrupt, even though chemical beats was epic with the lazers, lights, led screen and smoke jets all going a bit crazy.. When they started making their head scratch noises and Love Is All came up I was quite surprised. Maybe it was having a break in the middle that did it?
Anyway I personally thought the end of the first half was much more definite/concrete, SPOILERS: very slow-mo footage of the girl emerging from the water with an amazing stretched out drone- really stunning experience.
By the way, do many other live acts use the whole translucent-led-screen-with-lights-behind-it effect? I've never seen anything so awesome in my life

hey bros! chemical beats doesn't work as the perfect closer...everyone says (in their own expalantions)

brother_ging, on 22 May 2010 - 10:25 PM, said:

I'm not picky at closers at all.
'Cough...Cough...TPPR....Cough'

Come on, ending with chemical beats is as much of a throw back to the good ol days as you can get!

alborada69, on 23 May 2010 - 01:54 AM, said:

The Chems are the only band I've seen do it, and very impressive it is too. Its a great visual idea.

For those that went to these shows. Is the screen much bigger this time around or is the Roundhouse just a much smaller venue? I've got a feeling the Chems have two different screens they use for either larger festival type shows or smaller inside ones. The one they used for Glastonbury in 2007 looked enormous compared to some others that I've seen.

I think the can adjust the size of the screen depending on where they are playing. I saw them last time 2 days in a row, one very small venue in Eindhoven and the next day in an arena in Antwerp where it was much bigger but with the same ratio.
I think that the Brothers have also gone widescreen. If I see the vids of Roundhouse, in comparison when I was there 3 years ago, it seems not only bigger but much wider.
The film is propably made for widescreen and not willing to lose any of the images the live screen has become widescreen aswell.

Joslyn, on 23 May 2010 - 12:08 PM, said:

http://www.savav.co....ealth/index.htm

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=6bDcmHZ3hZI

thanks for the stealth links.
As far as I can tell the roundhouse screen is the same as the 07 tour, with two extra panels either side to give it a widescreen wrap around effect- which works wonders when you're in the front/middle.

Here is the text from the Independents review......




"It feels strange seeing The Chemical Brothers in the first fortnight of a Tory government, with the New Labour project six feet under. Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands are inextricably linked to the Britpop era, and impossible to separate from the aspirations and attitudes of that time. Ed and Tom were the party. Unlike many studio-bound peers, the Chemicals were DJs at heart, their priority was always making people dance. That's why, for a while, every single was welcomed like – excuse the pun – tablets from on high: from now on, this is what you'll be dancing to.

There isn't quite the same anticipation surrounding Further, for which this show is a launch: before "Snow" has properly begun, a circular overhead rig of spotlights and smoke machines suddenly sends directional jets down on to the crowd before lifting off, giving the impression of being beneath the boosters at Cape Canaveral.

They've thrown a lot of money at the visuals (which will be packaged with the album in DVD form), bringing in Dr Who director Adam Smith, even if it mainly consists of some very Eighties green lasers, the man from the Old Grey Whistle Test title sequence doing the moonwalk, and what looks like a giant game of Pong.

Of course, with a show like this – basically a disco where all the songs are by one band – the gimmicks are vital. The once yak-like, now boffin-bald Ed and the amusingly light-on-his-feet Tom lurk uneasily behind banks of twinkling LEDs and ... what, exactly? It may be the most obvious thing you can say about a dance act, but what are they doing, besides maybe tweaking the bass up a bit here, and the treble down a bit there?

Not that any dial dips below 11. It's so loud I feel like my eardrums are bleeding. So loud, paradoxically, that I can't hear it, or make any sensible judgement on Further, other than to say that it's uncharacteristically sample-free and almost devoid of vocals, and that otherwise they adhere to their own formula: you know exactly how long the tension-build will last, you know precisely how many bars till the big release.

A promising sign is that I'm still thinking of "Swoon", the accurately-titled and very now-friendly single, after the hits encore has been and gone – 2010 might not be a very Chemical Brothers year, but Chemical Brothers are sounding very 2010"

nalaknip, on 23 May 2010 - 05:14 PM, said:

What the hell? Have I got things backwards? No, the reporter clearly does.

TEDCHEMICAL, on 23 May 2010 - 05:13 AM, said:

Good info Ted!
This should be in a 'How do they do it' topic!

nalaknip, on 23 May 2010 - 07:14 PM, said:

what? oh c'mon!

What a strange review from the Independent. I get the feeling the reviewer wasn't quite sure what to make of the show, other than the Chems are timely in 2010, the show was ear-shatteringly loud and leaned on being gimmicky, and what Tom and Ed do on stage is baffling. I did like the Cape Canaveral reference, though!

Quote

Huh?

good venue, great visuals and great track. i went on fri though and was def dissapointed that they finished at 10.50 with no encore. crowd were left standing about waiting, so that's only negative thing i think.

i've seen them b4 and also luved their brixton shows. but my friends hadn't seen them b4, weren't familair with new stuff and they did expect a few more of the classics. but at the end of dat, it's hard to please everyone.

brother_ging, on 23 May 2010 - 07:25 AM, said:

I couldn't disagree more. I love it when they finish with Chemical Beats. Admittedly it is my favourite tune but I still think it's a great set closer, especially for the old skool fans like myself

I couldn't fault the new show. I went on the Saturday and I thought it was one of their best shows I've seen. And I've been going to their shows for well over ten years now. I went with a mixture of old skoolers and Chemical n00bs and they all agreed it was an amazing show.

I think some of the people who weren't impressed probably need to stop analysing the shows so much and lighten up, stop stroking your chins and just enjoy yourselves!

MessageAnother less than glowing review from The Guardian on Sunday:
The Chemical Brothers | Pop review | Music | The Observer

Plus rather more favourable ones in The Times and FT:
The Chemical Brothers at the Roundhouse, London NW1 live reviews | Music | Arts & Entertainment - Times Online
FT.com / Arts - The Chemical Brothers, Roundhouse, London

Personally I loved the new album play through with the stunning visuals when I went on Friday and the 2nd half of the show was a great nostalgia trip too, although I also felt it ended a little abruptly and I was one of the many there expecting an encore!