Looking fit and lean, Maxwell Frazer, mingled with the crowd in the VIP Balcony at Ibiza Rocks, relaxed as he leaned over the rails to watch a classic Carl Cox set that was warming up the Ibiza faithful for the sole live performance by Faithless this year. The Closing party for the iconic BBC 1 Radio weekend, which seems to be getting bigger as each year passes, was sold out in under three hours, so anticipation for this event was hanging tantalisingly in the warm and heavy Balearic air. While many of the 18-30 crowd were expecting a polished performance from Faithless, few could have imagined the professional masterclass that was delivered. Joining Faithless on stage were a brace of vocalists, base guitars and drummers, who amped an earthy rock sound to the night, allowing Faithless to serve up some unique re-works of their classic electronic tracks. The performance was delivered with a touch of artistic flair, its twists, stops and turns, driven by the rhythm section, teased the crowd and brought us on a rollercoaster musical journey.
With a number of DJ's on before them, the most impressive set belonging to Canadian, B Traits, Faithless aptly opened their gig performing God is a DJ with Sister Bliss looking and sounding as sharp as ever on keyboards adding the instantly recognisable synth lines that distinguish Faithless above all others. A couple of nicely timed reggae and feet shuffling base tracks followed, before the guitars and drums were unleashed in the 2004 hit Mass Destruction. We were now firmly in Ibiza Rocks territory and Faithless knew the crowd they were playing to. The energy that drummers Lilly and Andy brought to the gig was awesome. Twenty minutes in came the tune that everybody was waiting for and dedicated to "you and everybody that you love", a live version of Insomnia, magically made its presence felt on the island. A warm, and dreamy buildup led by the drums, spilled into Maxi's iconic lyrics. Bells sounded as the heavy percussion and guitar returned before we were seduced into the orgasmic melody of Insomnia. The crowd responded as the air of such an iconic tune, floated around the 3000 plus audience for seven special minutes, peaking and coming back over and over again. This was electronic tantric sex and Ibiza had waited too long to experience its audible pleasures.
After Insomnia, the haunting vocals of Slava Mea plateaued the now heaving crowd who were enjoying the journey as air raid klaxons kicked in alongside the Sister Bliss synths that debuted the Faithless sound produced by Rollo over 20 years ago. More classic Faithless followed with, Not Going Home, before an excellent version of, We Come One, closed the set. Maxi who was clearly in top form, his voice smooth, precise and lyrical all through the gig, then asked everybody to join in on the One beat, carried by Sister Bliss on keyboard and underlined with the sharp base of lead guitar Pierre Apuniff. The track rounded off an electrifying performance that had the Ibiza Rocks audience buzzing. The wide smiles and bright eyes of the people leaving the gig was evidence that Faithless had delivered a performance of some class last night in Ibiza Rocks. The island had waited too long to have Faithless play her hallowed musical shores, lets hope it wont be as long a wait next time.
