🎵 How Good Are They Really 🎵 Orbital

[SunnyB]

That was awesome - thank you for taking the time. On the question of dance acts from that era I always think of it as

Underworld > Orbital >> Chemical Brothers > Prodigy. I think if I had got into Orbital first it might have landed the other way around though. The Underworld best-of was a “changed my life” level purchase and Orbital.was the next step down that path. Either way, an absolutely huge act in my world.

Need to give Wonky another go, given all the love it’s received in the thread so far. Can’t remember much about it at the moment. Quite excited to dive in.

[thewarn]

See you there!

[LastAstronaut]

Was trying to remember who the “special guests” were so googled and found this, don’t remember Plaid playing at all;

16th March 1999 - Leeds Town and Country Club, Leeds. England

Another 200 Miles and we arrive in Leeds. The Town and Country Club has been open for years and the walls are covered in vintage gig posters. Their is a good size dance floor with a small side balconys and a large rear balcony.

The Club filled quite quickly and Plaid played to a good appreciative audience. They were a lot tighter then the previous night with no technical problems at all. The sell out crowd were eager to get Orbital on stage and at 9pm Paul and Phil started their set.

The sound in the Town and Country was impressive - a lot more meaty and louder than before (yes - even Exeter). Their was no problem in motivating the crowd tonight - they were up for it once they heard the opening notes of “Way Out”. The heat in the Club became unbearable and it was major task just to walk anywhere. The dance floor was packed out and i would have to say this was the most eccentric and active crowd on the tour - they were loving every minute of it.

Orbital are in there somewhere - honest - Picture by Steve LOOPZ Price

Tracks covered (IN ORDER) - (intro - Clockwork Orange), Way Out, Spare Parts Express, Impact (The Earth is Burning), Know Where to Run, An Fhomhair, Halcyon (with Belinda Carlisle and Bon Jovi samples) ,I Dont Know You People, The Box, Nothing Left (Parts 1 and 2), Style, Bigpipe Style, Satan, Open Mind (F.A.Mix), Doctor Who and Chime.

“Know Where to Run” was a lot more bass heavy than the previous two nights after a certain person (ahem!) mentioned that it wasnt as low as the original track on the album. Phil confirmed after the gig that extra effort was put into this area - a job well done

“Doctor Who”, “Open Mind”, “Impact” and “Satan” sent the crowd into a mental overddrive and the responses to the other tracks were equally impressive. The crowd made tonights gig very special.

After the gig there was 3 interviews including a video shoot. Paul and Phil were relaxed and appeared to be very pleased with tonights performance. They still havent recorded any of the gigs as yet - but Paul has hinted that he would like to put part of a gig on the Loopz site in the future. So from now on…i will keep asking - “have you recorded the gig?”

[thewarn]

Plaid were really good, but too quiet from memory.

Remember it properly kicking off during Doctor Who

[thewarn]

Went to some great gigs at the town and country club around that time- Leftfield and Massive Attack are the other two that really stand out.

[thewarn]

Oh, and Daft Punk.

[LastAstronaut]

Saw Leftfield there, I remember I had a stinking cold and nearly bailed but stood at the back and let the bass rattle all the cold out of me!

A few of us used to go to the indie nightclub there once a week for a while as well.

[Bamnan]

Always get disappointed when I remember they are not The Orb

[maggieloveshopey]

having a lovely old time with the brown album this afternoon

[Damian]

@bennyhana22

Can’t believe Impact (The Earth Is Burning) isn’t in the track voting list. My favourite Orbital track, and one of my favourite tracks of all time of any genre. The, ahem, impact it had on me as a young man getting into techno and breaks cannot be overestimated.

That’s the track that got me into them… but I think that list is just the singles? Obviously this should have been one…

(edit: sorry, should have checked someone hadn’t beaten me to it downthread)

[LastAstronaut]

I’m listening to Middle of Nowhere for the first time in years, I’d forgotten about the John Craven’s Newsround sample in Spare Parts Express, made me smile!

[midnightpunk]

I really was never properly into the emerging dance scenes that mirrored my youth but given the amount of exposure inevitably some would sink in. Perhaps the artists that sank in deepest for me at the time was Depth Charge, I just got what he was trying to do immediately.

Inevitably in my early 20’s my groups of friends would end up at some form of rave or full on house party and gradually you started to notice this faceless dance music take form and actually really catch your attention.

Stumbling around a field at Glastonbury in 1994 and again in 1995, which were the last two Glastonbury’s I would attend I know I saw at least half an hour of Orbital on the smaller (NME?) stage and what you could feel at this event was the vibe, just everyone peacefully losing their shit on a hot night, the noise the crowd made, not just applause but total (and totally lost) appreciation. Kinda perfect.

I heard the Brown album in a mates car driving back from a gig around time of release and again really liked it’s feel. Still nothing there for me to buy anything but really liked the Are We Hear single and would listen in store to Snivilisation when I worked in a record shop.

As @LastAstronaut has literally just cited that John Craven’s Newsround sample is quite fantastic and that is the last I have heard from Orbital.

I’m going to give them a 4, I should and will check out more when I can.

[UncleRetrospective]

I’m a little freaked out that I’ve now become the kind of person that will spend 40 minutes writing a post for an internet forum about his favorite versions of a song.

I feel
I don’t know what I feel

[bennyhana22]

I LOVE that bit! Saw them on the MON tour and that sample is just the best. Tried to explain the thrill to my kids who would have known the latter years of Newsround. Got nothing.

Ben

[cliquester]

I have to echo the feelings about Glastonbury '94, folk often say it was The Moment when a lot of people realised dance music would ‘work’ as a big show, a gig and not just purely as a rave. The atmosphere was genuinely extraordinary, properly a lightbulb going off situation. Acid House/Techno nerds will get sniffy about it and say that actually there had been plenty of Amazing Gigs in various fields or other (usually a Sunrise do or whatever) and obviously amazing raves had been going for the previous half-decade but this was when it went overground i suppose. Dance music in a big field with decent beers and a proper sound system; worked for me.

This Select piece does a decent job of capturing that ‘Holy shit!’ moment as it was actualy happening.

[Yvash]

Love Orbital but also eagerly awaiting The Orb HGATR, too.

[dodecalicious]

Once hopped in a taxi post-post-club-maccies on O’Connell Street in Dublin, the driver had some techno playing faintly. Asked him what the tunes were and he was delighted, said it was some mix that came from a magazine, and asked me really earnestly if I was into dance music. Course I am man! He switched it to Orbital, rolled the windows down and pumped it to 11. Did the normally 20 minute journey out to my gaff in Santry in about 11 minutes and it ended up being €5 cheaper than normal.

Hopped out grinning ear-to-ear, especially seeing the ashen faces of my mates getting out the back. Orbital are a 5

[Brainfreeze]

I’ve always really liked Orbital since I first heard Chime. I’ve never been crazy about them in the same way as BoC or Aphex Twin so it’s a 4. It feels like Bicep have taken up the mantle these days. If I was at a festival and Orbital were playing I would definitely make a point of seeing them. I saw them at Glastonbury many years ago and they were outstanding.

[jeremyirony]

I think we need a new colour to maintain familial harmony.
We don’t have these arguments with blue and green (thanks turquoise!)

[jeremyirony]

Still a 5 despite a few missteps. They were one of the best bands of the 90s and the Brown album is phenomenal. Wonky was surprisingly excellent too.
Halcyon + On + On + On + On