大象传媒

It's unseasonably warm in Dublin. About 18 degrees, or something silly like that. It's been quite sunny this afternoon and I've had a lovely stroll through the city centre and some tasty cannelloni. Being truly content isn't the ideal mentality to go and listen to songs of hurt, longing and redemption, made by a man who has battled daemons of many kinds, including a dodgy barneted singer from Wigan. I should be hungry, wet, and wanting medicating. In need of both dwelling on my wrongs, and someone telling me it'll be ok again.

But in possibly Ireland's finest live venue, something is missing from the normally mesmerising performance given by Pierce and co. Tonight's show lacks the sublime heights of both my own previous live experience of the band, and their own recorded live shows, notably Live at the Albert Hall. Touring this year's frankly fantastic 'Songs in A&E', there's no Electricity[sic]. Songs like the iconic, multi tracked and honestly touching 'Ladies and Gentlemen...' sound laboured, loosing their majesty without the layered Pierce vocals and the inclusion of the female backing vox. That characteristic segue, the whoosh at the start of the album that made him an icon, feels like dull mid-set fodder. The intense, and initially pleasing, "wall of noise" wig-outs on the likes of 'Shine A Light' merge into one dynamic repeated through the set. Perhaps its the limits of playing in, for Pierce anyway, a stripped back 7 piece. And then over compensating with guitars, where the horns should (rightfully) be that is causing the problem.

Maybe I'm longing too much to be as moved by the band live as much as I am on record, as there's lots to merit. Pierce's vox are both fragile and tender while Duggen's slide guitar adds perfect verse counterpoint. When the mist does lift, standing out tonight more than anything, is a reworking of the dense, desolate fuzz of Spacemen 3 original 'Walking With Jesus' into a gospel masterpiece complete with jangling acoustic guitar. 'Soul On Fire', one of this year's best singles, is uplifting and bombastic without sounding over blown. And 'I Think I'm In Love' rouses call and response from the audience.

Sure, you could get some kind of song writing robot to pen a Spiritualized song called 'Lord Jesus On Fire In Love, On Smack', but honestly, it could never reach the lofty multi-layered possibilities of heart ache Jason Pierce can.

But it seems that live, sometimes, neither can he.

Johnny Farry