Editors
The Warfield, San Francisco, CA
February 8, 2008

The last time Veronica, Gary, and i saw Editors, i spent the time during the show continually whipping out my cell phone to record the set list. I wasn't bored, i thought i would get a definitive record of the show. This time, the Birmingham post-punk revivalists played the larger Warfield, and our threesome found ourselves in the second row of the balcony, our preferred spot now that we're a smidge older and have grown weary of standing for hours in the pit to be a bit closer to the performers. I again found myself getting use out of my phone, but not to transcribe the song titles. This time i was keeping track of singer Tom Smith's myriad of dance moves. He began with "the straightjacket" (wrapping his arms around himself while singing), before moving into "the flamingo", where he stood on top of the piano, inexplicably on one leg. Before the show was over, he'd progressed to a collection of jigs from Hairspray including "the Rhonda" and "the roach", and one move i labeled "Pete Townshend joins Cannibal Corpse". Veronica later retitled the straightjacket as the "i love myself and i need a big hug", which proved more apt the next time Smith busted it out as a sublime look of contentment settled on his face. I jest, but in some cynical way this description seems more important than the actual show. The band ripped through a set that seemed more urgent and vital at the Fillmore, hitting the highs of "An End Has a Start" and "Bones" while periodically trotting out the now familiar likes of "Munich" (again bearing the ridiculous a cappella intro) and "Blood". It was all very ho hum, and reaffirmed my previous statement that the quartet had better find some new gears on their third record or they risk losing complete touch with relevance. 32nd note riffs from Chris Urbanowicz have taken them far, but it's time for a fresh take. Their closing number, the b-side "You Are Fading", may have provided such a new direction, a rambling jam that relies more on mood and atmospherics than the usual quick strummed hooks.

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