Editors, Oxjam Live, Sept 29th
Editors played Oxjam Live on Sept 29th
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By Darren Estwick. |  |
Monday, 05, Oct 2009 04:38
Amid the Lahore restaurant and fraying Tooting Pound Shop on Thursday night, something unusual was afoot.
A small crowd was assembling beneath the recognisable green logo of worldwide charity, with a few black-clad bouncers manning the entrance.
Those who had managed to get hold of tickets were ushered inside, where a small stage had been erected and the walls hung with clothing shipped from stores around the country.
Vintage records, fair trade chocolate and wedged boots all acted as the unlikely backdrop for this unorthodox musical event.
Since 2006, the annual Oxjam gigs have raised more than £1m for charity by signing up unknown and multi-platinum artists to entertain a select few.
And tonight there's synergy between the band and the everyday task of Oxfam as an organisation. The Editors are a group whose macabre lyrics envisage a chaotic world in which human connection is the only way through the morass.
"You came on your own and that's how you'll leave," they sing bleakly, but then console with "hope in your hands, and air to breathe".
It's a balancing act familiar to Oxfam, knowing it's their job to tell the darker stories in life, while also reassuring there's reason to be hopeful.
Half of the Birmingham band are loitering around the small back-bar before they take to the stage.
Russell Leetch puts his bass to one side for the night, his fingers gracing the ivories instead. He's joined by poetic frontman Tom Smith, who stands inches away from the small crowd - so close the sweat on his neck is visible.
The quality of Smith's voice is harrowing - as seamless and guttural as it sounds on their albums. He characteristically lurches over the mic as if delivering lines from the pulpit and the performance is beautifully raw.
It's as if they're an undiscovered band presenting themselves for the first time. But they've appeared as specks on huge screens at festivals and stadiums, across cities and continents - and it's disarming to see them like this. Completely exposed, they show talent that merits every mile of their success to date.
They banter in a way made feasible only within this setting. It's an inclusive performance that indicates something bigger than them is taking place. They make little reference to why they're here, but there's little need to. Every cord is played with an unspoken humility.
In this light and on this evening two musicians have succeeded in making this dilapidated London highstreet seem luminous.
Laura Holt
www.oxfam.org.uk