Orbital - Lightshow at the Downs is great!!!

Orbital **** This year the Bristol Downs festival was back with a bang, the main stage was hosting Noel Gallagher and Paul Welller amongst other equally well received act. But to compliment this they have upped the dance offering with a revamped Avon Stage resembling an old cinema, hosting some pretty big names in the world of dance from the last twenty or so years.

Orbital has the headline slot but earlier in the evening Basement Jaxx had performed a DJ set playing a great mix of tunes you could dance in the sunshine too including soem of of their hits such as 'Bingo Bango'. Goldie also offered us a mixed set including live drummers, a stripped back version of his wonderful offered get with a full orchestra back in Bristol Harbourside a couple of years ago.

Come 9pm with the darkness slowing enclosing the site it was time for Orbital to light things back up both in a literal sense with their impressive light show and so icky with a greatest hits of their impressive career to date. Equally impressive as the crowd they managed to pull with Paul and Noel being of a similar style there would have been a danger that the festival would not have attracted the ravers but a few thousand or so were ready for a good time.

Perched high up on their own stage on a stage and with their trademark lighted goggles the set opened with 'Lush 3' and from the start the energy the two of them bounding between their mixing devices is infectious. The slogans on the backdrop were amazing too as well as on point with such as gems as knowing that "Donald Trump shares 99% of his DNA with a shark" which I am sure can't be fake news.

It was a rush through their hits including 'Tiny Foldable Cities', the classic 'Satan' before ending the main set on 'Belfast'. Despite the encore being an established routine for bands for a while, a number of the crowd left here before rushing back as the sounds of 'Chime' filled the Bristol night air, before it really was over with 'The Box' and finally 'Doctor Who?' complete with projected images on the new doctor. A classic dance acts back to their best and coming back to Bristol in December, see you at the front then.

Review by Jon Cooper, pictures by Steve Owen

Check Out! The Video for 'Tiny foldable Cities' Below...