Music review: The Orb
Spiegeltent, Paisley ***
Sustaining a woozy, hypnotic groove, cheekily titled new track Pillow Fight @ Shag Mountain was infectious, while the ghostly sci-fi soundscape of Ununited States, with its solitary, keening horn, served as a creeping, low-key introduction to their 90-minute set. More up tempo, Rush Hill Road had a poppy dub vibe that meandered somewhat into reggae.
Yet while the new sounds earned wide appreciation, unsurprisingly with a mature crowd, doubtless there the first time around, it was the classic tracks that elicited the strongest reaction. Chief amongst these was their pulsing, huge crossover hit Little Fluffy Clouds, the harmonica, the rips from nature and Rickie Lee Jones’ wistful spoken vocal still penetrating after all these years. Equally resonant, layered with myriad samples, was the psychedelic, white noise guitar of the otherworldly Blue Room. Despite putting in a decent shift however, The Orb quit the stage somewhat abruptly, presumably because of noise curfew, a bit of a shame for anyone hoping for an encore.
JAY RICHARDSON