One of the most revered electronic records of the 1990s, Orbital’s Orbital 2 (more commonly known as “The Brown Album”), has received a long-awaited reissue, featuring 23 bonus tracks - bringing its total runtime to over four hours. Playing two exclusive shows in Brighton and Kingston in support of this reissue, the currently Brighton-based brothers headed to Chalk off the back of a successful UK tour.
Those (like myself) who turned up early were treated to an hour-long DJ set from Conradical, who performed from the side of Chalk’s small stage. I was initially concerned about how Orbital’s light show would translate to a smaller venue, but the spectacle of their performance worked even in a more intimate space. Playing tracks from across their discography, the show was an eclectic mix of hits and deeper cuts. The duo took to the stage festooned with their iconic goggles complete with lights and opened with 1991’s ‘Choice’. A 1 hour 45 min set primarily comprised of instrumental tracks, including reissued hits ‘Lush’ and ‘Halcyon’. Limbs flailed and hips shook as the entire crowd danced for the entirety of the show. The audience had an interesting age range; young children danced alongside older fans, verifying Orbital’s status as a still much-relevant group.
Despite making primarily lyricless music, Orbital have always managed to make their music come across as very politically charged, complementing the pair’s views away from their musical equipment. The screen behind the decks during ‘Satan’ featured a red filter over a plethora of clips from the political world including Tory politicians, North Korean soldiers and bombs dropping from planes. These clips culminated in a capitalised ‘SATAN’ made up of small individual squares playing videos displaying the bleakness of the current political climate, before the duo launched into uptempo track ‘Beezledub’.
Despite these moments of contemplation within their sets, the mood never drops. Orbital are wildly fun and clearly enjoy their craft as much as the audience does. The audience had plenty of chances to sing along and make their voices heard: ‘Halcyon’ was mixed with Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth’, followed by a performance of the pair’s ‘Spicy’ remix of Spice Girls’ ‘Wannabe’. Eldest brother Phil Hartnoll adorned himself with a ridiculous wig for these songs, a perfect complement to his iconic horseshoe moustache.
Orbital skipped the theatrics at the end of their set and performed encore song ‘Chime’ after thanking the audience and throwing out free t-shirts. An evening of great fun, the night was truly a party. The duo undoubtedly retain their prominence as forerunners of their genre, and continue to curate exceptional live shows three-and-a-half decades after their project’s conception.