Morcheeba

Morcheeba have been around for a long time. The core members, brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey, met their longstanding vocalist, Skye Edwards, at a party in the mid-90s and the rest, as they say, ‘was history’. They debuted with the incredible ‘Who Can You Trust?’ in 1996 and released a string of albums and hits (including the popular single ‘Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day’) before the band went their separate ways in 2003 – Skye going solo and the Godfreys carrying on under the band name with rotating guest vocalists.

The band has survived since Edwards’ departure but its current incarnation has felt almost hollow at times, lacking the sound of Skye’s brilliant vocals. Even Skye’s solo career felt hollow, missing the Godfreys’ instrumental and mixing ability.
So it was a pleasant surprise to see the full band come back together earlier this year, all members having resolved their differences. And on this day in October, it really showed. From the minute they walked onstage – Skye complete with high-heeled Mini-Mouse shoes, an afro-mohawk, a bizarre crossbreed between a Scottish kilt (complete with sporran) and a crimson evening dress, and the boys in standard attire – there didn’t appear to be even a hint of friction.

It was obvious in those 90 minutes that the band were enjoying each others’ company and the sound was all the better for it.This meant that it was more like a comeback than a promotional tour for the new album, ‘Blood Like Lemonade’, and today was their homecoming gig, no less. At one point Skye made a musical interlude to sing “Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner”, paying tribute to the fact that she was now back on her home turf.

Throughout the course of the set the band went through all their old hits whilst mixing in the new ones seamlessly to suit the tone, which the audience lapped up. There are few bands that manage to completely transfix an audience, but Morcheeba’s set at the Roundhouse today proved that they are very much one of them. Everyone was entranced by the sound of the instruments, Skye’s beautiful voice, the band’s good humour, and of course the awesome tunes.

At one point Skye playfully remarked: “You’re not allowed to smoke cigarettes indoors here, but I recall there’s nothing against smoking marijuana…” adding, with a grin: “Morcheeba rules, yeah?”

No gig is without a solid backdrop, and the atmospheric light show the band put on was more than able to match the task it was given. Today it was not overblown and ridiculous like a Killers concert but more mellow and moody to give the gig its intimate feel.
As the band wound down, Skye sang a melancholy rendition of ‘From Russia with Love’, before leaping into ‘Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day’, sending the crowd into an ecstatic frenzy.
With the final note everyone was cheering and applauding with gusto: even the seated areas gave them a standing ovation and stamped their feet to show their approval of the fine performance that we all had the pleasure in experiencing, today, a fully realised Morcheeba showing us exactly what we’ve been missing. A very welcome return.