Space rockers Spiritualized played at the Powerstation in Auckland. Our reviewer Scott Kara reports
KEY POINTS:
It was a night of being raised up by majestic, hymnal gospel rock and then thrown into a psychedelic haze of debauched noise and relentless strobe lights when closing your eyes was the only reprieve.
In fact, seeing British space rockers Spiritualized was death by gospel and what a gloriously orchestrated murder by music it was.
Band leader Jason Pierce - also known as Jason Spaceman in a former life as one half of stealth sonic rockers Spaceman 3 - knows a thing or two about death. He came close to it a few years back when he succumb to pneumonia and ended up in hospital. It was songs off the resulting album, Songs In A&E, that got a good going over early on during this two hour set including the brittle brilliance of Sweet Talk and the brooding Soul On Fire, where Pierce delivered the fiery line "I gotta hurricane inside my veins and I wanna live forever".
Also early in the spiralling set came the plaintive Shine A Light, from the band's 1992 debut album Lazer Guided Melodies, and other highlights included Spaceman 3's redemption song Walking With Jesus, and Come Together, the most yobbish gospel song ever written, off the band's most popular album Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space from 1997, which inspired a hearty sing-a-long.
Supported by two stunning gospel singers, Pierce stood stage right, and gripped and graunched at his guitar throughout, and he was a tough task master as he glowered across the stage at his second guitarist, almost imploring him to make the songs sound more beautiful and sonic.
The gospel music was good, and at times it verged on country too, but Spiritualized were at their best when Pierce strapped on his space suit and let rip with sonic assaults like the trippy party groove of Lay Back In The Sun.
And the best was saved for near the end as they launched into Spaceman 3 epic Take Me To The Otherside. Who knows how long it went on for? Who cares? The drone and strobes alone went on for a good five minutes, which, as a friend gleefully pointed out, was definitely long enough to make you feel uncomfortable. But out of this unease came something spiritual.
