Who says I wasn’t there for Antlers? ; ) I have to say they keep getting better/I enjoy them more every time I see them, and that quick startup was impressive considering how good it sounded (kudos to the sound guy). The Horseshoe was too constricting for them, they needed a room as big as the Phoenix to contain their strangely uplifting songs about devastation and loss. And I’m sure they made some new fans that night.

Editors’ newest material came off sounding much better than I expected (funny how often that happens!). Fears (based on U.S. talk show appearances) were quickly put to rest that the stage might be a guitar-free zone this time around, but the surprise was how much they were used on the synthtastic songs from In This Light. The band was uniformly solid throughout the generous set, and as you stressed, Tom Smith’s palsied charismatic act never fails to entertain. The sound was maybe a little snare-heavy for my liking, drowning out other elements at times — but not a huge complaint.