#Review: Leftfield, New Century Hall, Manchester, 19.05.23

As a lifelong Leftfield fan, getting to see them perform live is clearly something to look froward to; now perhaps even more so, with some great new music recently added to their wonderful back catalogue, and having not long had the great pleasure of chatting to Neil Barnes, and finding him an entirely charming interviewee whose deep love of music sparkles and shines.

Even having such high expectations, though, this show still surprised me from the get-go, with the evocative power of he opening chords, the red lighting, the pitched-down vocal sample. I genuinely can’t think of any gig I’ve ever been to that created such an atmospheric air of anticipation; it literally raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

Of course, when you’ve set that level of expectation, you have to put on a special show in order to live up to it. To say that what followed didn’t disappoint is a vast understatement. With a mixture of box-fresh tracks from stunning new album This Is What We Do and a perfect selection of older favourites, Leftfield sent the crowd wild.

It was a really great touch to have live percussion from drummer Bid, and, though I’ve previously thought of Adam Wren as Neil’s studio partner – and I’m not entirely sure if he’s previously appeared on stage – as part of the live show, he’s a natural.

With Neil and Adam having such a host of electronic devices at their cultured fingertips, it might have been tempting to go for a DJ-style performance; instead, each track is given full expression and allowed just enough room to breathe, sprinkling the evening with just a hint of the feel of a festival. And not any old festival either, but one I think we’ll all be telling our grandchildren about.

There was a real depth and variety to the music, further enhanced by Cheshire Cat and Earl Daley (otherwise known as Earl Sixteen) appearing to provide adept vocals.

I have a complete tracklist from the evening, but don’t want to share it; unlikely as it is that I might weaken something this powerful, there’s at least one track choice that came as a beautiful surprise. All I’ll say is, make sure you’re back in time for the start of the encore.

The perfectly paired back-projected imagery was just as impressive, evolving with the music, with repeated motifs like the shark jaws from the cover of debut album Leftism, and kaleidoscopic visuals that were either borrowed from or inspired by one of the trippier scenes in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

The in-house sound system was really put through its paces, and came through with flying colours. I don’t recall ever having been buffeted by so much bass – or at least, not without it muddying the delivery of the rest of the music; the power and clarity here clear proof that the sound techs are also masters of their craft.

I suspect, if Leftfield had actually wanted to, they could easily have blown the roof off the fabulous New Century Hall, in which case, a visit from the UFOs from Close Encounters would have come as no surprise. It’s perhaps a good thing they decided to leave the roof on, or there’d be a new hole blasted through the ozone layer.

A quick mention for the exemplary prior support from DJ Jon DaSilva (of Hacienda fame), generating bagfuls of energy, and helping lay the groundwork for a truly special night.

You can find details of the remaining Leftfield tour dates here. You’d be a fool not to get to at least one.