It was back in 2002 that indie-rockers Editors first formed. Their debut album The Back Room was released three years after in 2005 and since then they’ve released an album every few years, spawning hits such as ‘Papillon’, ‘The Racing Rats’ and ‘An End Has A Start’. As part of their first tour in three years, Editors played the Brighton Dome, in support of their latest album, Violence, which has received a great response from critics and fans alike.

In support of the band was Talos, the project of Irish musician Eoin French. Having released their debut album Wild Alee last year, Talos is still a relatively new band, having formed in 2013. French shines most during the high notes, which project his voice to a level you initially wouldn’t expect from him. There’s a revealing nature to his lyrics, backed by haunting instrumentation that crosses genres. Despite the slowed pace of their songs, the combination of French’s vocals and the backing drums built to an intense and atmospheric performance. As the band performed, the lighting was minimal but moody, representative of the lyrics and definitely well suited as a warm up to Editors. While the room wasn’t full to capacity at this point, the band finished to huge applause and track ‘Voices’ was a definite standout.

When Editors took to the stage, the band appeared minus lead vocalist Tom Smith, promoting huge applause as he emerged after the opening chords of ‘The Boxer’. Since the band had taken to the stage the room had filled out substantially, with Smith’s vocals echoing around the room as fans enjoyed a good selection of old and new. As the band performed against a backdrop of their latest album’s artwork, they proved that their newer work stacks up to the oldies, by wowing the crowd with a performance of ‘Hallelujah (So Low)’ early on in the set. This track in particular stood out due to its building pace, catchy melody as well as its dark and heavy chorus. While the band were a hit with the newer tracks, older songs such as ‘An End Had A Start’ provoked an equally positive response, sounding fresh despite having been in the band’s discography for a few years now. The set was tinged with nostalgia and evidence that they are still as relevant today. There’s a sense of maturity in their recent work. After an encore, the five-piece performed highlight of the evening ‘The Racing Rats’, which still stands as one of the best demonstrations of their talent, along with Smith’s vocals.

While they’ve been around for a long time, putting out material consistently, you can’t help but feel that recent album Violence was in a way a triumphant comeback for Editors. It’s seen them cement their relevance and legacy better than they have in a while and if another’s on the horizon, anticipation is sure to be high.

Dan Whitehouse

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