When I saw the announcement that Editors were playing this year’s Oppikoppi I was beyond excited and hoping and praying they’d be playing at One Night In Cape Town…and they did, and they were incredible and I went full-fangirl.

…Wolfmother, Shadowclub and Tatran played too.

The Good Hope Centre marked a change in venue from both previous ONICTs at Grand West; I wasn’t sold on the choice, and more than a little embarrassed that these fine bands were playing in one of the ugliest buildings in Cape Town…

Once it filled up though it wasn’t so bad – the ceiling decor was pretty interesting and the lighting throughout was great. Sound was a bit on the LOUD side with a lot of echo, but again, that got better as the place filled up. But things were rather desolate at 6pm when Israeli opening act Tatran kicked things off. I confess I got bored rather quickly but most of the crowd seemed to be enjoying the instrumental rockers.

For a while I felt like I was seeing Shadowclub everywhere…and because of that I went off them a bit. Which wasn’t fair, because they’re damn good, always, and their ONICT performance was no exception. As the only local act on the bill they held their own against the internationals and put on a top class show.

…But for me, the night was always really about just one band: Editors.

I still remember the first time I heard them – the music video for Munich came on MTV and stole my heart from the opening chords. “I’m so glad I found this, I’m so glad I did”, so accurate, It was love at first listen. Their debut, The Back Room, is still right up there with my all-time favourite albums, and their latest release and fourth album, The Weight of your love, was one of my favourites of last year. So the timing of their first South African show couldn’t have been better, and makes the 9 year wait so very worth it.

They played a great set, with the perfect mix of old and new material; things kicked off with Sugar, a favourite of mine and one of several standout tracks from the new album that they played, including Formaldehyde and A ton of love, as well as my least favourite track on the album,  Nothing, though the live version is way better than the recorded one. Classics from The Back Room included Munich, All Sparks and Bullets, stand-outs from An End has a start included the eponymous title track, Smokers outside the hospital doors and Racing Rats. Their third album is my least favourite but contains some solid tracks like Raw meat = blood drool which popped up mid-set and of course Papillon, which the band chose as their epic closer.

Great music and a fantastic, energetic performance – I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of their set and didn’t stop smiling till…well, I actually haven’t stopped smiling yet. I’ve been lucky to see some amazing live performances but this was the first by a band I really, really love, and that truly does make all the difference.

Definitely a show I will never forget.

For me Editors were the be-all and end-all of the night but it was clear the real pull for most was Wolfmother. The Aussie trio (and the third trio of the night, funny that) have never been particularly appealing to me…I know 2 songs of theirs, Woman and Dimension…both of which featured in the first 3 songs which, I admit, pleased me.

I wasn’t really paying huge attention to them though – my mouth was stuck in an idiot grin and my heart still flooded with post-Editors joy…they were still all I could think about…

But I enjoyed Wolfmother’s energy a lot, plus they smiled and waved to all the photographers as we were waiting to head to the stage area, which I thought was really cool of them. I didn’t stick around for their whole set but I had fun for the bits I saw.

– – –

Such a great experience, I’d do it all over again right now if I could!

Editors  |  Wolfmother  |  Shadowclub  |  Tatran

One Night in Cape Town  |  Hilltop Live

Photos on Facebook over here

Review on Texx and The City over here