Live music review: Spiritualized at Scoot Inn Friday was magical
On a near-perfect, Friday evening, English space-rock outfit Spiritualized returned to Austin to play a sold-out Scoot Inn. The nine-piece band brought by J Spaceman (aka Jason Pierce) that included three female backup singers delivered a magical, neo-psych rock performance to fans.
It was only the second performance of Spiritualized’s tour supporting their latest effort, Everything Was Beautiful (Fat Possum Records) which has been delayed to drop on April 22. The band included songs from the new album in the set list (see below). Of particular note was the gorgeous lead track on the record, “Always Together with You” which the band played spectacularly, thrilling audience members already attuned to hear their brand of psych rock which employs elements of gospel, drone, blues and rock to form a sound unique to bandleader Pierce’s approach.
New tracks came early in the set list, including a gorgeous rendition of the final track on the forthcoming record, “I’m Coming Home Again.” Indeed, the show did feel like a coming home. The new album is perhaps a continuation of the previous studio effort, 2018’s, And Nothing Hurt. Both albums highlight Pierce’s approach to neo-psych rock which is colored by an increasing lean towards pop melodies encased in rich, flowing stanzas of sustained drone underneath a tapestry of sonic effects, slide guitar and general musical mastery.
The band was arranged in a semi-circle with their bandleader at the center of it, seated at a music stand with a pedal effects board at the bottom of it. He employed an electric guitar, but appeared more like an orchestral bandleader than rock star. The mood suited the Austin faithful who showed up early and left late for a nearly two-hour performance at the historic, East Austin venue.
The show began roughly at 8:30 p.m. and by the time 40 minutes had passed, Spiritualized were only beginning the fourth song in the show, deliciously stretching out the already long-format tracks to provide the delicious ear-candy everyone came for. It may have been April Fools Day but no one was messing around on stage last week, that’s for sure.
All photos Michael Maly
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