Visions Festival 2023 headlined by Spiritualized: Review and setlist - ‘Gorgeous set tops the bill’

I’ve never seen a Spiritualized gig that didn’t make me feel better about the world.

On Saturday, Jason Pierce (in T Rex T-shirt) led his band in a headline slot at Hackney Church (St John at Hackney), topping a Visions Festival 2023 bill across five venues.

Coming on late due to earlier delays, Spiritualized had a slightly subdued start, sound wise, but by the third track, things had settled. Shine A Light was spectacular - at its gospel best in the church setting.

I’m Your Man is a brilliantly delicate song punctuated by stabs of blues aggression, while The Morning After has the audience clapping and fists pumping.

We get an aggressive Let It Bleed (For Iggy), and then a driving The A Song (Laid in Your Arms).

Soul On Fire, the lead single from 2008’s Songs in A&E, has always made more sense as a live singalong.

The setlist is heavy on the last two albums (Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt) and we get nothing from Ladies and Gentlemen… - and it’s a truncated version of the set they’ve been touring for a while.

But So Long You Pretty Thing is a gorgeous ending and Hackney Church is the perfect venue for a Spiritualized performance. The world is a better place with them in.

Visions Festival 2023 took place in Hackney on Saturday (July 22) at Hackney Church, Oslo, Moth Club, Paper Dress Vintage and Hackney Social.

Spiritualized setlist at Visions Festival 2023

• Hey Jane
• She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit)
• Shine a Light
• I’m Coming Home Again
• I’m Your Man
• The Morning After
• Let It Bleed (For Iggy)
• The A Song (Laid in Your Arms
• Damaged
• Soul on Fire
• Sail on Through
• So Long You Pretty Thing

Katy J Pearson

Before the space rock headliner, Katy J Pearson added some pop to the day, a bopping crowd enjoying hits like Tonight and Fix Me Up, with a few new tunes thrown in. 

Scalping

After some intense afternoon, Scalping broke things up with some hard house grooves, with a live band twist. Hackney Church is a daylight and booze-fuelled rave. Get those hands in the air. Loved it.

Just Mustard

With few smiles and barely a glance at the audience, Just Mustard go about their business with a studied seriousness. And it’s glorious stuff.

There’s a shoegaze/space rock thing going on but it’s far more experimental than that suggests. The tracks are driven by rhythmically playful drums but it is the heavily-pedalled guitars and bass that conjure the sonics behind lovely vocals.

I Am You shimmers, while the dual vocals of Deaf elevate things at a late afternoon Hackney Church. Brilliant.

October & The Eyes

October & The Eyes packed out Oslo with a crunching punk/garage rock sound. The New Zealander/East Londoner is a natural rock’n’roll star on stage.

Pale Blue Eyes

Pale Blue Eyes’ upbeat shoegaze filled out Hackney Church nicely, particularly the pretty More and the harder edge of Takes Me Over.

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