During the 30-minute Q and A with comedian Helen Keen which precedes tonight’s show, J Willgoose Esq stresses his belief in the power of science and how important it is that the discipline continues to reach out to people in new and interesting ways. By bringing his brainchild Public Service Broadcasting to Edinburgh as part of this year’s Edinburgh International Science Festival, J hopes that he’s making some small contribution to the scientific cause.
PSB are renowned for the theatricality and power of their live shows, combining quality visuals, vintage television sets and a metre-wide metallic recreation of the satellite Sputnik onstage to bring an added dimension to their work. The last time they strayed north of the border was a visit to Scotland’s newest festival Electric Fields, at which their show’s oomph was somewhat diminished due to the early time slot, the poor acoustics and the general rabble that comprises a festival audience.
Tonight, however, there are no such disappointments in the pipeline. Right from the very first choral ooh-aahs on The Race for Space, an aura of expectation pervades throughout Usher Hall, along the hair on the backs of the audience’s necks and all the way down our spines. Amply supported by liberal use of the smoke machine and atmospheric strobe lighting, the band rattle through the album in its entirety, adding that extra dimension which was so sorely missed in the festival setting.
The stylish brass quintet bring some slick choreography and bags of energy to Gagarin, highlighting why it’s such a favourite in the flesh. That irrepressible buoyancy is immediately juxtaposed with the brooding tragedy of the next track Fire in the Cockpit – it’s a contrast that was acknowledged by J in the preamble as an intentional gambit, and it’s one that works all the more effectively onstage. The billowing clouds of smoke and rumbling static on the song combine to bring about a trepidation not felt since being separated from parents in the supermarket as a young nipper.
Fortunately, E.V.A. steadies the ship once more, its Pink Floyd-like licks bringing the mood back up, before the euphoria reaches fever pitch on The Other Side. Valentina keeps the audience floating along on that high wave, before crowd-pleaser Go! smashes the socks off anyone still not convinced. Album closer Tomorrow is probably one of the weaker links on the record and doesn’t sparkle here either, but is immediately followed up by the remixed Korolev track which does shine, partly due to splicing in the choral riff from Gagarin and the accompanying reintroduction of the bouncy brass section.
Though billed as a showcase of The Race for Space, the band devote probably just as much time to wheeling out favourites from their other albums, as well. Spitfire, Lit Up and Theme from PSB are all given fresh treatment, while there’s time for less appreciated numbers such as If War Should Come and Night Mail and new single Progress, as well. Though Signal 30 is conspicuous by its absence, it’s the only glaring omission from a glittering setlist and Everest brings proceedings to a close on an appropriate high.
If there is one complaint from the show, it’s the insistent use of the voiceover machine in place of crowd banter – the joke might work once or twice, but becomes tiresome before long. J did confess that the Sputnik satellite and the Gagarin spacesuits were being retired after tonight’s performance, so perhaps the voiceover will go with them. In any case, it’s a pedantically minor quibble in a show-stopping performance. Though PSB might have been preaching to the converted tonight, the future of science seems safe in the Scottish capital once again.