Spiritualized

Jason Pierce is the architect of Spiritualized, although looking at the stage from the wooden, tiered amphitheatre of EartH Hackney, you might not know it. He stands side-on to the audience throughout the night; this distinct lack of physical engagement with the crowd is a long-standing hallmark of his stagecraft. Pierce operates less as a frontman and more as a conductor, buried within a nine-piece engine that includes two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, a keyboardist, and a trio of gospel backing singers.

The evening began with the steady, measured build of "Cop Shoot Cop..." from the classic 1997 album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. The song established the template for the next 90 minutes: a simple melodic hook that is gradually layered with instrumentation until it reaches a state of controlled chaos. The screeching 2003 single "She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit)" delivered the desired intensity before the three backing singers brought the energy back down on the gospel-influenced "Shine a Light" from 1992's Lazer Guided Melodies. The backing vocalists were also essential to the pulsing, hypnotic "Let It Flow," which built into a euphoric crescendo.

Abrasive guitars returned for "These Blues," delivering a wall of sound that reverberated in every corner of the venue and the mind. Spiritualized have a natural ability to maintain a repetitive, hypnotic groove for extended periods, layering it into a series of crescendos where feedback and distortion serve as the main melodic elements. The organ, backing singers, and sprawling guitars add to the sheer volume this nine-piece can offer. The brass-like swells of the keyboards and the disciplined drumming ensured that even at their loudest, the songs retained their structural integrity. Despite the raucous energy around him, Pierce remained a still point, his focus entirely on his music stand, pedalboard, and guitar neck.

The set concluded with a more melodic coupling of "Damaged" and "Sail on Through" from the 2018 album And Nothing Hurt There was no encore and no banter. Following the final notes of the finale, Pierce offered a solitary, barely audible "thanks" before leading the musicians offstage, leaving the audience to process what they had just witnessed. It was another highlight in the long list of brilliant BRITs Week for War Child performances.

Setlist
Cop Shoot Cop...
She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit)
Shine a Light
Let It Flow
These Blues
Born, Never Asked (Laurie Anderson cover)
Electric Mainline
All of My Tears
The A Song (Laid in Your Arms)
Damaged
Sail on Through