belfast gig review from bbc northern ireland
THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS
ULSTER HALL, BELFAST
It was one of those mythical nights when the stars align and everything is just perfect. A big back catalogue, an up-for- it crowd, a mind-blowing screen show (with respect for the picture of the late George Best). Really, it?s hard to find fault other than that they have may have missed out on your personal favourite tracks. And that it all seemed to end too quickly, with the march of the (blissfully happy) living dead after the house lights went up.
Drawing heavily on most recent album ?Push The Button?, we were treated to a minor retrospective of their earlier career with the likes of ?Block Rocking Beats?, and a very messed up version of ?Out of Control?. Recent big-hitter ?Galvanise? threatened to bring the newly refurbished Ulster Hall crashing down round us all, while ?The Golden Path? was a beautiful psychedelic, hands-in-the-air moment.
Constantly teasing us throughout with snatches of other songs hidden in intros, the Chemicals proved why they are the great survivors of dance music, because they have never lost the joy nor the ability to push our buttons. They are still as creative when cultivating ?Believe? as they were over ten years ago in the days of ?Song to The Siren?, and that is why they are at the very top of the tree.
If you were there, you were lucky, if not, better luck next time, but in the meantime, have you had your recommended daily allowance of Chemicals?