Live Photos: Spiritualized Bring Glorious Noise to NYC

Hear that? It's the sound of getting high ...

Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Get Spiritualized
It was the night I'd been waiting for: Spiritualized, the British band behind arguably 2012's best album so far, 'Sweet Heart Sweet Light,' had arrived in New York City to play Terminal 5. Rad. They didn't disappoint. No sir. Click on to see photos and read more about the show...
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Standing Strong
I was surprised to see Jason Pierce, aka J Spaceman, the band's singer-guitarist and founder, standing on two feet. In every live photo and video, he's always sitting in a chair, looking at his music stand. Not tonight. Instead he rocked out and led his four-piece band, plus two sassy female backup singers. Not bad for a dude that almost died in 2005 from double pneumonia and recently underwent chemo for a liver disease.
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Got Soul
Pierce is a spiritual man. He repeatedly sings about god, love and drugs, sometimes all three in the same song, and paired with skyward guitar riffs it's enough to open the dopamine floodgates on your dome-piece.
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Bright Lights
Are you seeing the light? Nope. That's a strobe, dude.
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Effects Pedal
Pierce traded riffs with guitarist Tony "Doggen" Foster that sounded like a rocketship blasting off. Or maybe a laser beam fight. Either way, both are sharp, practiced guitarists with taste. They never overplay, and each song is executed with style and grace.
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Space Beats
The same goes for drummer Kevin "Kevlar" Bales. He kept time carefully, laying the foundation for the band's glorious, gospel-inspired melodies. He never forced a beat, or unleashed the wrath. Instead, he kept the sound tidy and clean, and the overall performance benefited from it.
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Mixed Bag
Spiritualized played a set that mixed songs from their new album, like the single "Little Girl," with older fan favorites like "So Long You Pretty Thing."
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Highlights
The camera phones came out during the band's performance of "Ladies and Gentlemen, We're Floating in Space," the title track from their 1997 magnum opus. The recorded version--featured in the final scene of Tom Cruise's 'Vanilla Sky'--is the epitome of orchestral, blissed out romanticism, but live the pared down band played a quieter, more intimate version. Pierce's musical cathedral was shrank down to a prayer circle.
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Bringin' the Bass
With the smaller-than-usual band, bassist Thomas Wayne was given the spotlight on several songs, especially the sputtering bass intro to the show's opener, "Little Girl."
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
View From Above
The founder of space rock blasted off on songs like "Electric Mainline" and "Come Together."
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Main Man
Spiritualized banged out 16 songs in exactly two hours, with only a brief break before the encore. When each song pushes past six and seven minutes, picking the set list becomes an exercise in curation.
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
"I Am What I Am"
Pierce only said two words, twice, during the whole show: "Thank you, thank you." He lets his music do the talking, clearly.
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Slow It Down
The wall of reverb was slowed down on "Oh Baby," one of the band's most touching songs. The song starts as a lilt, then explodes with Pierce singing, "Oh baby, heaven's just a heartbeat away / Baby, please don't let anyone stand in your way / Darlin', you only get a lifetime to choose."
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
On Fire
The band chugged on with "Lay Back in the Sun," a trance-like psychedelic jam from their album 'Pure Phase.'
Benjamin Maljevec for Fuse
Closer
Spiritualized straight slayed with their classic show-closer: "Cop Shoot Cop," a 16-minute-long psych-rock blast.