For a minute, let's compare the landscape of emerging musical artists to the pledging process in 'Animal House.' Seriously, bear with me, this still has a chance of making sense. Taking my place last night at Rothko, which was packed like an 8am 6 Train, it occurred to me that this was one of EDITORS' first steps towards joining the group...the fraternity of the indie hip, if you will. Collectively, music fans everywhere, along with labels, press, and fellow bands comprise the club...those awarding their own stamps of approval and invitations to the next level.
Thanks to a generous hookup, I was one of the many fans packing it in for EDITORS 2.0, a follow-up of course to 1.0 which took place the previous night at a sold-out Mercury Lounge. For the past couple months, EDITORS' popularity has swept like wildfire across hipster circles, blogs and music communities in the UK and beyond. Similar to the rapid rise of the Arctic Monkeys, EDITORS' reputation is preceding them...literally. Each of these upstart sensations has sold out their first stateside shows before even one official US release.
Now, to the show, which might as well have been a chugging contest or other testosterone-driven audition for acceptance in the spirit of the Animal House theme. Not long before midnight, the four clean-cut bandmates took the stage to an uproar of applause from an audience basking in anticipation. For the following hour, EDITORS ripped through a well-rehearsed set of hit-worthy tracks including lead single "Munich," along with "Camera," "Bullets," "All Sparks," "Fingers in the Factories," and "Blood" amongst others. This is the point where these young pledges buck the notion of joining the fraternity of trust fund babies in favor of the rambunctious Delta House, a band of pranksters whose lives (like many an up-and-coming rock band) are continually re-defined by their next party or gig.
Lead singer Tom Smith's vocals are incredibly reminiscent of Interpol's Paul Banks, however, Smith somehow sings with so much emotion and charisma that I immediately thought of him as another dynamic artist as opposed to a copycat. Smith is flanked by Rickenbacker-toting lead guitarist and bassist Chris Urbanowicz and Russell Leetch respectively. Urbanowicz looks like Pete Doherty's long lost brother while Leetch is a bit more reminiscent of a stocky football (soccer) goalkeeper with the buzzcut to match. The group is anchored their newest member, Ed Lay, on the drum kit. One final, yet important note, is that none of the EDITORS are older than 24. That's right.
Considering Saturday night's performance, along with the crowd's sensational reaction, EDITORS have made yet another stride in their pledging process to join the ranks of hit fraternity members The Strokes, Interpol, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, and so on. 2006 figures to be an explosive year for these young men, and the truth will be told this April, when EDITORS' full-length release 'The Back Room' hits US shelves. In the meantime, keep an eye on their website for the latest news, tour info, and audio/video clips.
