Other Voice’s 10 act Spiritualized have released their seventh album, entitled Sweet Heart Sweet Light, which was recorded under difficult circumstances that saw front man Jason Pierce fighting a long term liver disease throughout the process. Put together mainly in Pierce’s home studio, with stints in L.A and Reykjavik, much of Sweet Heart Sweet Light was performed when Spiritualized played in Dublin recently.

Following on from their Other Voices performance which showcased much of their upcoming seventh album, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, Spiritualized return to the Irish stage in Vicar Street, on March 24th, for the only Irish date on their otherwise nine stop UK tour.

With the record set for release on April 16th, expect it to feature highly on the night’s set list once again.

The final night of the St. James’ Church recordings and it’s possibly the best of the lot. We begin with an unknown which we quickly want to find out more about. Ben Howard is an English singer songwriter recently signed to Communion Records (and now Island Records). Home to a slew of interesting folk artists like Michael Kiwanuka, Daughter and Matthew & The Atlas, Communion has become a mark of quality of late. Howard is no different. The surfer acoustic singer songwriter carries with it negative connotations these days but Howard is a way more interesting proposition than many of that ilk. His woolen voice is set against a folk sound that has a dark edge to it as heard on set standout ‘Black Flies’.

The second Dingle welcome of the night goes to a band that have already proved themselves as considerable talents over three albums. Wild Beasts’ latest album Smother is their most masterful of the three to date and the entire set is drawn from it in St. James’ Church. The setting being as intimate as it is, the lights being so much brighter than regular gigs due to the TV recordings, there is nowhere to hide. If a band aren’t up for the challenge, they’ll soon be found out. The Cumbrian band have no such worries. It’s rare to see a band so locked in to their music, so comfortable and talented and knowing about their playing, that they instantly create a magical atmosphere, taking advantage of the reverence that the church affords. The set is taken from the first eight tracks on Smother performed in order (Watch the entire set at The Guardian) While the songs are great ( ‘Lion’s Share’ , ‘Bed Of Nails’, ‘Albatross’ and ‘Plaything’ in particular if pushed) the performance is magnetising. There’s a sprawling sound to Wild Beasts that they create with such control. Hayden Thorpe’s voice is so much less dramatic and jerky than it used to be, his operatic tones smoothed out with texture. Watching him lunge around the stage as if waltzing with an invisible ghost is a highlight while the band’s secret weapon, their drummer Chris Talbot makes excellent use of two bongos on his kit to produce unique rhythms. Wild Beasts are easily one of the most important AND interesting bands around if this set is anything to go by.

By contrast, Spiritualized’s set consists almost entirely of songs from a forthcoming LP due in February that no one has yet heard. Project main man Jason Pierce has spoken of it as his attempt to make a pop album but there’ll be no three minute ditties here. As is standard for most of the Spiritualized back catalogue the songs are sometimes elongated by guitar and psychedelic freak outs but at their core they are based on simple ideas. Bluesy guitar riffs, organ, gospel style backing singers, three guitarists, drummer and Pierce holding court on his stool facing the band is how it looks and sounds. The lyrics of the new songs are soul and gospel inspired as ever with songs about a girl called Mary, talk of souls bring saved and the connection to Pierce’s old band Spacemen 3 is clear when the band finish with ‘Take Me To The Other Side’. You can watch ‘Hey Jane’ and ‘So Long Pretty Things’ via The Guardian.

The penultimate set of Other Voices 10 is also the one that looks to be the most divisive on paper. SBTRKT’s self-titled debut album this year confirmed a electronic subgenre-shifting talent in Aaron Jerome but would it really in a church?
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Thanks to all that tuned in to watch!