SPIRITUALIZED + INSECURE MEN – THE ASSEMBLY HALL, WORTHING 20.10.25
In a 90s scene filled with grunge distortion and Britpop swagger, Spiritualized are an anomalous act. Formed in 1990, Jason ‘J Spaceman’ Pierce is the sole original member. Spiritualized carved out their space in a crowded industry with sweeping soundscapes evocative of 1970s prog, a precursor to the expanse Radiohead would pursue on ‘Kid A’, while also naming Iggy Pop as an inspiration. Ultimately, their sound feels like My Bloody Valentine if they’d cut their teeth at CBGB.
As the years have passed, Spiritualized have maintained a steady following, but comparisons to their contemporaries have never fully faded. Arguably, their biggest claim to fame is ‘Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’ controversially beating landmark record ‘OK Computer’ to NME’s best album in 1997. Pierce and co land in Worthing for the NHS MyMusic series – a charity initiative raising funds for the NHS – following a successful anniversary tour for ‘Pure Phase’ in a world once again obsessed with the music of the 1990s.
A surprising mix of twentysomethings and their parents dressed in the 90s uniform of three stripes and anoraks flood the hall. The youngest of the crowd emulates 90s revivalist fashion with baggy jeans and docs – style never truly changes.
An eerie silence drops as the lights do. It covers a veritable trip hazard of cables for the pedalboards of three guitars, and numerous vintage synths. Walking across this stage in the dark seems like an obstacle course. Stage left, a book of songs titled ‘Book of Sins’ sits upon a stand – a sign of what’s to come. Eight members of Spiritualized arrive on stage – Pierce gets the loudest response of all.
They launch into ‘Cop Shoot Cop,’ the lighting breaks into police lights when the song hits its loudest. Lyrics “Hole in my head where information goes” signal our first descent into shoegaze chaos. The layered noise becomes so dense that it’s hard to know where one song ends and another begins – it’s practically seamless, waves of sound flowing and crashing into one tide.
Spiritualized oscillates through many sounds early on. The transition from ‘She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit)’ to ‘Shine A Light’ feels like crashing back down to earth, but enjoying the fall. It breaks into swarming drums and chaos that can only come with having guitars on a pedalboard combinations so intricate you’d need a PhD to navigate. ‘Shine A Light’ operates in floating soundscapes that cut through the hall, contrasting directly to the battering ram of the shoegaze via punk chaos of the preceding track. It swells into a layered conclusion of reverbed guitar, brass, and even gospel organ; a wall of sound so dense even Phil Spector would say it’s too much.
Early on, credit must be given to the sound team. Mixing a band this sonically dense and complex is a lot like successfully juggling chainsaws – and somehow no one is sliced. Gospel singers are handed the keys for the conclusion, and the crowd is spellbound 3 songs in. In fact, they only break into applause after this track during a rare break that isn’t seamlessly transitioned.
With every element captured perfectly, “Turn the guitar up, Jason” and similar shouts are ignored. The band is locked in – the music does the talking for them. All distractions will be tuned out. We’re left to bask in stretches of 10-minute spatial soundscapes where not a word is said. Atmospheric bliss allows for few to dance on the sidelines – as if they’re avoiding aliens only they can see.
‘Let It Flow’ is the next highlight, ruled by anthemic drums and gospel vocals of “woah/woah/oh.” It’s evident the songs are more focused on feeling, rather than lyrics. Words remain secondary and borderline indecipherable beneath the intricate shoegaze. ‘Let it Flow’ feels like a gentle descent – returning home after a while. Pierce’s desperate vocals, in a rare moment, splinter through another wall of noise. It has the same feel as post rockers Sigur Rós – unfortunately, it does not share their penchant for emotive conclusion. Spiritualized are frustrating in their ability to rarely reach a satisfying conclusion, despite multiple songs having a clear end that carries on. Sonically, it feels like being trapped, hearing the same story for the hundredth time.
The band is at their best when showcasing shoegaze, and the crowd is indicative of this. Unfortunately, each time the band leans into audience desires, they bring us straight back down to earth. ‘All Of My Tears’ gets the dreaded saccharine slow dance moment, as select members of the crowd mindlessly sway side to side. It encapsulates the worst moments of a frustrating setlist, which is far stronger when embracing its chaotic elements.
Fortunately, ‘The A Song (Laid In Your Arms)’ is a welcome crash of utter chaos into noise. It’s a genuine shock the building isn’t wobbling, a full sensory moment. When one meteor shower of noise breaks, another follows. It descends into sirens and crashing drums. The band seem angry at its instruments, playing so furiously it reflects in the sound, a positive sonic scream – the kind of shout as you’re launched into the air on a ride. It only makes it more frustrating when compared to prior slower songs that Spiritualized are capable of reaching a satisfying conclusion when they stop meandering.
Our conclusion of ‘Sail On Through’ lands with the anticlimactic splash of a capsule in the sea. There are evidently more songs left in Pierce’s ‘Book of Sins,’ and due to time constraints, they remain disappointingly unaired. This unfortunately concludes the show on the trough before the peak. The book, holding lyrics so large they look like a sight test, is closed before its time in a night marred by poor timekeeping. Our sudden end is the only time Pierce speaks, saying “thank you” in a tone more apologetic than grateful.
Spiritualized prove that throwing enough at the wall means some sticks; comparisons to contemporaries remain valid. They appear as Radiohead without restraint, and seem to have never heard the adage ‘less is more.’ The comparisons are perhaps why opener ‘Cop Shoot Cop’ is the only track from ‘Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’ to be aired; they clearly want to distance themselves. It’s impossible to avoid the thought that this band would be far better if they slightly pruned their bloated soundscapes in favour of their shoegaze ferocity. We live in a world where this is celebrated; bands like Wednesday fill rooms their idols couldn’t; even My Bloody Valentine are set to play Wembley Arena in a month. Admittedly, a number of songs do end up metamorphosing into something brilliant. At their best, songs are a blues-style jam session of every musician built on top of minimalist keys, creating a floating soundscape that gives space for songs to soar. However, it just makes it more unfortunate that these end up marooned between tracks that can’t escape the bloat of a band that doesn’t know when to end a song. They collapse under their own excess, and end up stuck in the atmosphere as we leave Assembly Hall after a night of abrupt endings – all launch, and no landing.
Spiritualized setlist:
‘Cop Shoot Cop’ (from 1997 ‘Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’ album)
‘She Kissed Me (It Felt Like A Hit)’ (from 2003 ‘Amazing Grace’ album)
‘Shine A Light’ (from 1992 ‘Lazer Guided Melodies’ album)
‘Slide Song’ (from 1995 ‘Pure Phase’ album)
‘Let It Flow’ (from 1995 ‘Pure Phase’ album)
‘These Blues’ (from 1995 ‘Pure Phase’ album)
‘Born, Never Asked’ (Laurie Anderson cover) (from 1995 ‘Pure Phase’ album)
‘Electric Mainline’ (from 1995 ‘Pure Phase’ album)
‘All Of My Tears’ (from 1995 ‘Pure Phase’ album)
‘The A Song (Laid In Your Arms)’ (from 2022 ‘Everything Was Beautiful’ album)
‘Damaged’ (from 2018 ‘And Nothing Hurt’ album)
‘Sail On Through’ (from 2018 ‘And Nothing Hurt’ album)
Support comes from Insecure Men – their name, not a criticism. It is the project of former Fat White Family member Saul Adamczewski, and it proves more accessible than his work with the band. It is melodic and pensive, a far cry from Family’s dissonance. Insecure Men are reminiscent of Cigarettes After Sex’s ambience but more subversive. 2018’s ‘Karaoke For One: Vol.1’ covers Peter Andre’s ‘Mysterious Girl’ but oddly plays it completely serious, cementing his project’s camp but deadpan take on esoteric pop. It lands like a Vegas lounge singer forced to perform while his life falls apart.
Adamczewski and co stroll on stage two minutes late, with an interlude still playing. Opener ‘Cliff Has Left The Building’ sets the tone – it is simultaneously dreamlike and hypnotic – almost Lynchian in its ability to meld dark lyrics with pop sensibilities. A melody you can’t quite recognise, at once disturbing and peaceful. It feels like a lullaby refashioned for a horror film, closest in sound to current up-and-comer Luvcat. “We are insecure men” is announced with a smirk, following this – a knowing wink to the audience.
Their crowd is barren, their set dangerously adrift. Insecure Men’s brand of off-kilter pop is only ever met with scattered applause from a crowd thin while the rest sit waiting in the bar next door.
“5 minutes left? So I guess this is our last song.’” Introducing Closer ‘Weak’ from forthcoming album ‘A Man For All Seasons.’ Their set is then unceremoniously cut short with the same ramshackle disorganisation as Fat White Family – without the intensity to match. Whilst attempting to win over a sparse crowd, they never quite resonate. Whether that’s due to a crowd still arriving or poor time management is debatable – most of their time on stage is spent requesting sound adjustments or retuning instruments.
Insecure Men setlist:
‘Cliff Has Left The Building’ (from 2018 ‘Insecure Men’ album)
‘Alien’ (from upcoming ‘A Man For All Seasons’ album)
“unknown” (but possibly included “I wanna roam… I wanna believe” lyrics)
‘Buried In The Bleak’ (from 2018 ‘Insecure Men’ album)
‘Tulse Hill Station’ (from upcoming ‘A Man For All Seasons’ album)
‘Weak’ (from upcoming ‘A Man For All Seasons’ album)
