Recorded from probably the best vantage point in the front row, here's another contribution to the Archive from a long-time collaborator, Mari. She was at the band's return to Brixton last week and managed to capture what could be labelled as something of an "event", providing you know what you're looking at. Thanks again, Mari ;)
Why is this special? Well, without any warning Editors decided to delve into their own Archive of material and pulled out a song that hasn't really existed in this form for well over a decade.
For all you fans that found them after they had been around for a while, this song might not provoke the same emotional attachment in you as it does to some of us who were there back in the day. Which is cool. We're all different, but the same in our love for this band.
Long before the pre-pandemic plans of revamping Editors material for a rave-like show were being conjured up, The Weight of the World was an early example of a song being written by Tom for a very specific purpose; the Glastonbury Festival.
Having been affected deeply by actually attending that event, it became an ambition of his to craft a song that would be ideal for that setting. Given that it was released in 2007 on the An End Has a Start album, it is possible that it existed in gestation for a couple of years before that as it was shaped and reshaped. That means it could be approaching 20 years old as a composition.
It was performed by the original line up as a four piece repeatedly for a couple of years during the AEHAS tour cycle, before changing into an acoustic version that was usually just Tom on his own. After that, it more or less vanished from the set lists.
Given that the signature guitar line of Mr Chris Urbanowicz is so prominent during the track, you have to wonder if that was a consideration in leaving it on the shelf for so long? It seems silly now, but I remember distinctly that awkward post-Chris phase where if felt like certain songs had been changed around to remove his input (Two Hearted Spider, The Sting), and it almost seemed that there was a peculiar stigma attached to anything he'd contributed to. With hindsight it was obviously not the case, this was just a band who were not in possession of a guide to dealing with a break-up, trying to figure out the best way to move forward doing what they loved.
Given that Munich, An End Has a Start and Smokers were kept in rotation during gigs played after his departure, shouldn't it follow that anything he played on or assisted in the creation of should be considered as a candidate for a live event? These are great songs, regardless of the interpersonal strife that birthed them, and it's possible to find a degree of reverence in simple acknowledgement. Which is why The Weight of the World showing up again after all this time felt like the group finally breathing out, after an extended inhale that has lasted for years.
The major difference here is that Elliott handles the piano playing and Tom is on guitar. Other than that, it's TWOTW and it is genuinely so nice to hear it again.
If you'd like to see this performed 17 years ago at the very festival it was intended for, check out the link below. Enjoy the music ;)
• Editors - The Weight o...
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6 май 2024
