On Monday evening, the Editors kick-started their current UK tour on Tyneside with an eagerly anticipated show at NX in Newcastle.

The show marked the band’s first appearance in the North East since last summer when the group supported James in Darlington. And their first headline show in the region since 2018.

Having travelled 6.5 hours from the Isle of Wight, alt/rock outfit Coach Party opened the proceedings. The band have recently performed alongside indie outfit Bombay Bicycle Club on their recent dates. And based on Monday's opening set, it's easy to see why there is so much buzz about the group.

The Northern Echo: Support Act, Coach Party at NX, Newcastle

The five-piece has a sound which transports the listener back to the late 90s/early 00s. The repertoire is laden with fuzzy guitar riffs, intricate guitar licks and captivating melodies. With only a 30-minute set, the band certainly made an impact. The audience would have happily watched more. Coach Party are one to watch for sure.

The Editors current run is short but sweet, with only six UK dates on this current tour. Many of the fans in the front row had been waiting outside the venue since mid-afternoon, and some were attending multiple dates on the tour.

The headliners kicked off the show with Two Hearted Spider. The moody red lighting set the ambience for the proceedings. With barely a pause, the band meandered their way through Sugar and Karma Climb. The thunderous sounds of Bullet was one of the highlights early in the set.

The Northern Echo: Editors at NX, Newcastle on Monday February 26

Despite the intimate setting for the show, the Editors managed to squeeze an arena-style production into a club show. A wall of backlights and strobes featured prominently in the band’s lighting design and perfectly accentuated each song in the set.

The band turned their attention to their latest album EBM, with a few tracks from the release featuring. The electro-infused sounds of Heart Attack,  Strawberry Lemonade and Strange Intimacy have the kind of danceable beat that got the crowd moving from the off. 

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Both the band's old and new material sat seamlessly side by side throughout their setlist.

A euphoric rendition of Blood landed at around the mid-set mark. The crowd clapped furiously to the song’s infectious rhythm. The Editors switched things up momentarily with an incredible cover of Killer by Adamski/Seal. The band truly put their stamp on a timeless classic to great effect.  

The Northern Echo: Editors at NX, Newcastle on Monday February 26The band largely let the music do the talking, with a huge setlist there was little time for on-stage banter, not that the crowd minded. The set list ebbed and flowed throughout. The ambient sounds of No Harm slowed things down briefly before crowd-pleasing airings of Lights and Bones brought things back to full tempo via their ferocious pace.

Fan favourites featured in the latter stages of the set included the unmistakable sounds of Munich and a synth-fuelled performance of Papillon. With frontman Tom Smith featuring on keyboards. Whilst An End Has A Start and Racing Rats transported the band's fans back to the band’s classic sophomore album. Tom featured on piano centre stage during the latter.

On Monday evening, The Editors set list contained more bangers than a firework display. It was explosive, to say the least, but most importantly, it was incredibly enjoyable.