Underworld - Classic or Dud?

The new songs sounded pretty bland based on the uploads that came out after the two shows in the UK last week. I'm afraid they have extended beyond their usefulness. Release the riverrun stuff on vinyl, issue a b-sides box set on vinyl for the ambient versions that have never been on vinyl, and then retire with your millions. 70yr old men do not need to be making techno. Underworld is my 2nd favorite band.

well I agree that stuff should all be on vinyl but personally I loved like 75% of the Drift stuff and think they should keep making music forever. also I am not convinced they have got millions sitting around. they draw big crowds sure but they do what, like 6 shows a year?

I bet they’ve got a lot in the bank, w their other ventures and maybe even the olympics deal?

for what it's worth Orbital has this problem even worse

Orbital still play the songs differently from night to night — the big disappointment of the post-minisplit UW sets is that one of them clearly has to play the songs the same way every night bcz the other one doesn’t want to jam

(and maybe Drift S1 would have changed that if they’d been able to spend three years touring and doing more Drifts)

But yeah two boring new songs (haven’t heard ‘em) doesn’t mean hang it up forever when their last album was twenty hours long and their third-best ever

I'd be happier if they focused on music like Peach Tree, Breaking and Entering soundtrack, Faxed Invitation etc. Mellower, rhythmically interesting, lush epics.

i like it!

new BBC 6 interview introducing the track. They say they've been very productive and will still be working on new music during tour. Doesn't sound like an album is about to drop. Would not rule out more Drift!

awww I love interviews with these guys, they seem so nice

new track is alright, would be kinda weak as a lead single but I like it, reminds me of "Threat of Rain".

UW had me slightly worried w barking (good but veering towards something I didn’t think suited them ideally) but BBWFASF and Drift really made my concern evaporate, I thought those were a pair of vv different but inspired projects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9mXZA8jxCk

idk i think this is a banger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuEwJXysHzk

sound quality on those ain't great but it's good enough to know all those tracks are gonna rule. "And the Colour Red" probably the least exciting of the 4 tbh

I've seen a number of comments from those who attended that the new songs were major highlights, I'll take their word for it. bring it on!!!!

still holding out messing with bootlegs but you're not the first i've heard say that and, eeeeeee

ha ha "gene pool" is astonishing

hope these guys never hang it up

The full RAH show is on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtishFOOsmA

all of those sound great on shitty phone bootleg played through tiny laptop speakers, so can't wait to (🤞) have a Driftweek to get to listen to the proper versions of each over and over

Doesn't sound like an album is about to drop. Would not rule out more Drift!

listened to the interview - definitely sounds more like another Drift-like slew of material, probably not called Drift 2

DrIIft

I have a kind of mild OCD where having a Drift Series 1 but not a Drift Series 2 would really bother me

hoping for your sake they kick it off with "Bird 2"

70yr old men do not need to be making techno

like hell they don't

to be clear i hope they never stop

At this point, I'd rather 70 yo's than 20 yo's

It’s really inspiring to see underworld out there still doing this and making vv vital work IMO. Watching Karl dance around like that at his age ❤️ long may he run (and pogo around and swerve in place etc)

It really kinda is...not THE unsung partnership, but we're talking about 42 years now of working together in some sort of context, not just musical. That's as long a run as the Pet Shop Boys but doesn't seem to be considered as such.

"Two people helping each other, forever."

It’s really inspiring to see underworld out there still doing this and making vv vital work IMO. Watching Karl dance around like that at his age ❤️ long may he run (and pogo around and swerve in place etc)

exactly! how i'm trying to be tbh

I remember being so into them in high school and when that 1992-2002 anthology dropped it felt like they might be wrapping it up, even Karl was like "I'm over 40, I don't think I'm gonna be dancing like this in 10 years". so glad he was wrong, I hope they never stop.

"70yr old men do not need to be making techno" Well, after COVID every open nightclub is a risk. Better to make techno associated with distanced listening instead of dance venues, and then 70-year-old man can contribute just as much as younger musicians.

I have to confess that I momentarily read "Underworld - New Tracks - Live at the Royal Albert Hall" as a future event - as a show where they weren't going to play their "classics".

Smith & Hyde are only in their mid 60s I think?

I had a funny conversation about them at prog nite, we were talking about 90s electronic stuff like The Orb (the dude who DJs it is from Manchester), the topic of Underworld came up, and this guy mentions he knows of them as Karl Hyde's "other band", apparently only knowing (and being a huge fan of) the first Freur album. he had no clue what kind of music Underworld did or that they'd been steadily making music for three decades. he also thought for whatever reason that Karl Hyde had recently died. maybe he was thinking about The Prodigy??

70yo people still making techno seem to do a better job than 70yo people still making rock, generally

their socials saying the Coachella set will be live on Youtube - tomorrow 9 pacific

ta: 55 minute set, on the Mojave stage channel (six out of the seven Coachella stages are being streamed)

:D :D :D at Karl just vibing behind Rick throughout And The Colour Red

Great set, they always bring it! hope I've got that energy at 65.

Real nice. Liked the little bits I haven't heard before (not sure the most recent show I've even heard, It's been a while). Cool that it's no longer a total stop between all the songs.

New song is good but I wish it was twice as long.

Now going back to the Drift disc with the Necks. They should have released that as a standalone.

didn't they? or was that just on Bandcamp?

lucked into tuning in this morning right before the Coachella playback!

I’d love to see Underworld live but North America is only ever going to be sporadic one-offs near festivals, right

didn't they? or was that just on Bandcamp?

It's available digitally on Bandcamp, but to get a physical version you had to buy the whole Drift box.

Really good show last night. The energy and joy from both Rick and Karl was so good to watch.

*cough* https://archive.org/download/underworld-videos-nuxx

They crushed it so hard.

They played a song I didn't recognize, some good stuff. Yellow and red color scheme for the lighting during it. Anyone know?

"And the Colour Red" is a new single. They played:

Juanita 2022
Two Months Off
Dark & Long (Dark Train)
King of Snake
Rez / Cowgirl
And the Colour Red
Born Slippy .NUXX

Nice bonus vocals by Karl (and Rick!) towards the end of 'Dark Train' here (not heard them do this on the track before)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUrWirnWDMs

Zero regrets at finally seeing Bailterspace live last night here in SF but that did mean I had to miss Underworld, who I similarly have never seen. Annoying! One day hopefully.

StanM I swear there was at least a segment, with some heavy vocal treatment and some anthemic synth and yellow fill lights red laser as described, that I don't recognize from any of those tracks. Was a highlight for me. Could have been a variation on the end of one of them I guess.