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An Offalyman in the Deep South, blessed with great people around me, and constantly endeavouring to discover meaning and truth... computer scientist, tennis player, naive drummer, cook, and a bunch of other unexceptional stuff...
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So, it’s back at the beginning of this year and I’m randomly searching the wonderful wild Web to see if any of my favourite “old-timers” are playing live in concert in the upcoming year. I stumble on to some site in England: UNDERWORLD WILL BE LIVE IN THE WYLDES IN 2024.
I quickly overlook the ALL-CAPS-ness of the headline and check out the details… One of my beloved electronic artists will be playing in an outdoor venue in the West Country in the summertime - and it’s not going to be one of these festival things where you wind up with a hodge-podge of attendees… No, this is going to be 95% hardcore Underworld enthusiasts and their cool offspring! I start planning how to make this part of our annual family trip back to Ireland… the anticipation begins… really hope this doesn’t disappoint… I know it won’t…
Underworld released their 11th studio album today: Strawberry Hotel. Some of the songs were introduced earlier in the year while on tour and as singles on streaming platforms. The band is primarily comprised of a British duo, both well into their 60’s, who have been pioneering a brand of electronic sound for over thirty years. Very much an album focused band, some of their songs (particularly on the earlier albums) extend over the 10-minute mark.
How can two guys, Rick fiddling with knobs on various different computer devices while Karl sings with a thick English accent and does some sort of interpretive dance, constitute a band? Where’s the guitarist, the bass player, the drummer, the keyboard player, et cetera?
What even is electronic music? Repetitive beats and loops and chest crunching bass that heightens the acid high for the ravers at some underground nightclub venue in Ibiza? Well, of course that’s just one very narrow slice of the pie. And for many, a distasteful one. However, I would encourage anyone to explore the evolution of “electronica” as a music genre, its infiltration into the mainstream and popular culture, and indeed its influence on and crossover into other musical genres. Like anything, it’s hugely subjective, but I reckon there’s something for everyone in the mix… krautrock, techno, house, big beat, drum and bass, jungle, trip hop, downtempo, ambient, et cetera.
Similar to other duos like Daft Punk, Orbital, and The Chemical Brothers, the complementary talents in the partnership have ensured the longevity of the Underworld collaboration and consistent critical acclaim. Rick Smith is the main composer and electronics guy and Karl Hyde brings his distinctive lyrical & vocal style and vast energy to the equation. Their music has a lot of range and, aside from the impressive studio discography and various EP’s and collectors editions, is featured in soundtracks and scores for film and television. In addition, the duo were chosen to compose and direct the music for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Back in 1996, an English movie director, Danny Boyle (who was also involved in the aforementioned 2012 Summer Olympics), convinced our duo to allow him to use some of their music as the “heartbeat” of Trainspotting, a dark comedy that revolves around heroin addiction. The success of the film thrust Underworld from relative obscurity into the commercial mainstream (well, fairly mainstream), ensuring that the duo would reach a much wider audience base and allow them to continue to evolve their sound without compromise, while utilizing increasingly sophisticated tech.
Born Slippy was the big hit from the movie - at its core, a song about addiction (alcoholism) and the darkness that comes with it. For Underworld, this would be like Radiohead’s Creep, or Beck’s Loser. To this day, the two boys probably still marvel at how content with such a dark theme can transform, for many, into a euphoric clubbing anthem. This is where the magic lies. Like any good creation of art, the observer will be transported to somewhere that is a good place for them.
A drop or beat drop in music, made popular by electronic dance music (EDM) styles, is a point in a music track where a sudden change of rhythm or bass line occurs, which is preceded by a build-up section and break.
[La guida alla musica moderna di Wire, 2010]
Born Slippy contains one of my favourite beat drops. It has been the crowd pleaser at Underworld shows for over twenty years. I don’t think it ever gets old, and certainly seems to keep the duo young at heart. I read that it is to be the final track on the setlist for the 2024 tour.
The Wyldes is a cool, laid back venue out in the middle of nowhere, about a 20 minute drive from coastal Bude, in the northern part of Cornwall. A mini Glastonbury (also located in that general part of the country, not far from Stonehenge). I had never been to the southwest of England before. I was all set to sample a genuine Cornish pasty and listen out for some good accents. The Cornish coast is part of the British Riviera. That title is well earned - the beaches along here are fantastic.
The day of the gig arrives. It’s kinda like Christmas-morning-as-a-kid vibes for me. After a little pregame action, we pile into a shuttle bus to take us from Bude to the venue. I’m accompanied by my twin daughters, Ingrid & Katherine, their childhood friend, Emily, and my nephew, Troy (an excellent musician in his own right, and a great student and critic of music of all genres… I’m really hoping he digs this).
We get there. The crowd starts streaming in to take the unseasonable chill out of the air. There are a lot of English people in close quarters around us. Over two thousand! But, as expected, this is by and large a very experienced concert-going bunch. Being the understated guys that they are, Rick and Karl slink on to the main stage without many of us even realizing it. We scamper out of the VIP bar area and into the melee. It begins…
Towards the end of the show, my daughters drop the rhetorical question, which I’ll paraphrase: So, Dad, was this a father-daughter dream-come-true moment?
Indeed, a truly beautiful experience that always brings a smile to my heart when I bring it into my consciousness. This was really all about my girls. My duo.
“You bring light in. You bring light in”. Thank you.
