WIRE 04 Party Report Day 02 @ Yokohama Arena

DATE : 18th July, 2004
Photos : WIRE OFFICE

Orbital's Last Gig : reported by Ollie Beeston
For brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll the WIRE04 electronic music festival at Yokahama Arena last Sunday marked not only the end of a decade long absence from Japanese audiences, but also of the final string of gigs for one of the most influential and celebrated partnerships in modern electronic music. The decision for Orbital to call it a day had echoed across the world for some time before culminating in the release of the highly acclaimed "Blue Album" as well as the announcement of a string of "final gigs" from Brixton academy in London to Istanbul in Turkey. However with such dates now aside, apart from a private invitation only performance to be held in the UK later this month, it was the final opportunity to experience the Hartnolls live. With precision timing the duo from Kent followed on from Japanese DJ Takkyu Ishino, cementing the moment with a brief "Arigato, this is our last ever gig" before whipping the 17,000 capacity Yokahama Arena into a frenzy with the classic "Remind" followed by the somewhat reflective new single "You Lot". The ecstatic crowd were treated to a 75 minute showcase of past and present Orbital classics, essentials and some live favourites including "Impact The Earth is Burning", "Satan" and the ever popular "Halcyon" spliced with looped samples of Bon Jovi and Belinda Carlisle, before showcasing some newer works from the "Blue Album" such as the ballad "One Perfect Sunrise" which features the vocal talents of Lisa Gerrard from Dead Can Dance. When their time was up however the brothers Hartnoll were ushered back on stage by an insistent yet deafening crowd, their final goodbye being in the form of the reworked Dr Who theme tune "Doctor", followed aptly by the track that put them on the map - "Chime". Overall the magic was in the live element and with their trademark 'headlights' and custom interactive lighting display Orbital managed to put forward a unique performance which separated them from the predominantly Dj oriented artists at WIRE04 while still affording them a chance to show the audience a great party. It was a fifteen year journey come full circle and an opportunity for Japanese audiences to say goodbye and good luck to Orbital.
18th July : Artist List (from top left�j 01)MONIKA KRUSE _ 02)KAGAMI 03)ELLEN ALLIEN _ 04)TOBIAS THOMAS 05)TAKKYU ISHINO _ 06)THOMAS BRINKMANN 07)ORBITAL _ 08)ROK 09)LEGOWELT _ 10) BAD BOY BILL 11)FUMIYA TANAKA _ 12)LUKE SLATER 13)PASCAL F.E.O.S _ 14)ALTER EGO 15)CHRIS LIEBING _ 16)TOBY 17)JEFF MILLS