The Orb, Band on the Wall. 9th March 2019

After a long day of chess supporting, tonight’s gig couldn’t have been better. Watching The Orb Live is a meditative experience, at least it is once you’ve moved yourself to a spot availing you of the fat drunk 50 somethings who still foolishly think they can dance like it’s 1991. I saw The Orb at Glastonbury a couple of years back and have to admit it was disappointing. You’d think it would make sense there, but an endless stream of unrecognisable beats made for a boring set. No so tonight, a visibly ageing Dr Alex and his much younger compatriot are kicking out the hits, granted in a very extended form, but it’s fluid, fun and rather fabulous. Band on the Wall suits them perfectly, small enough to keep that club feel, but not so small that you can’t move from the aforementioned decrepit raveheads. Now I say hits, but did they ever really have any other than perhaps ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’, possibly not, but what we get is a string of instantly recognisable and loved sequences from Ultraworld and UFO... and yes ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’. If they’d played this at Glastonbury it would’ve been marvellous, but tonight close your eyes and this blissed out dub could transport you anywhere, proving Dr Alex’s status as Grand Master.