Live Report: Faithless – O2 City Hall, Newcastle

Seeing Faithless in 2024 is undeniably a strange proposition. Having established their reputation for euphoric dance material in the ’90s and hitting major festival stages well into the noughties – including the Glastonbury pyramid – there is an appeal for dance escapism that has never faded. However, frontman Maxi Jazz left the group in 2016 and died in 2022. When the group reunited earlier this year for their first tour in eight years, the question was: how are they going to fill that gaping hole?

Cut to November in Newcastle Upon Tyne, and over 2000 people fill the floor of the O2 City Hall in order to find out. Firstly, though, the veterans give a platform to Anthony Szmierek; an ex-English teacher (no, not the band) and rising dance star, his eccentric spoken word lands over vibrant tracked instruments as he flexes his inimitable stage chops. Swinging his hips as he flurries out a blur of whip-smart lyricisms, Szmierek justifies his increasing success with a series of great singles: the cerebral ‘Rafters’ and recent single ‘The Great Pyramid Of Stockport’ are standouts, bringing to life old garage flavours with a modern twist.

With the crowd’s dancing shoes – or balcony seats – warmed up, Faithless walk on stage to a huge applause. Starting slow with a cinematic intro, the vibe is tense but the 1920s grand hall is transformed into a pulsating rave within minutes. The first song alone is a 12-minute journey through engrossing textures and dazzling lights, as Sister Bliss watches over all from her pair of keys and synths.

Live instrumentation bursts to life, and in a weird backwards way it’s refreshing to see electronic artists implement natural sounds live on stage rather than relying on the ever-improving capabilities of backing tracks. Although Sister Bliss is the only original member on stage, the group curated around her is excellent at bringing to life the vision that has grounded the Faithless for three decades. Vocalist Nathan Ball sneaks into the foreground early on and fits right in, soaking in the vibe whenever he’s not adding to it. When Amelia Fox joins him during 2020’s ‘Synthesizer’, it feels like another character being unlocked.

When the two mic stands are empty, the pair fade away and allow the abstract visual representation of Maxi Jazz to do the talking; his presence looms dramatically over the crowd during the big hitters, ‘Insomnia’ and ‘God Is A DJ’. There is no attempt to replace him, but you get the impression the band are enjoying rendering a new experience rather than trying to cash in on a bygone image. Impressively, the crowd replicates this enthusiasm long after those tracks have concluded.

A mix of old hits and newer additions continue to unfold for a mammoth near two-hour runtime, which can feel bloated when out of place covers (Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’, for one) diffuse the atmosphere briefly. Still, it’s mostly back-to-back bangers. Intense visuals displaying ’90s festival crowds and mountainous scenery aptly summarise the aura the new edition of Faithless radiate.

Across ravers old and new, there’s still a sense of communal spirituality about Faithless and their fans. The fact that this show was scheduled on the same day as Trump’s re-election makes the message of unity feel only more potent. “We live in a world of division,” Sister Bliss declares, “but in this room tonight we truly have become one. This is more of the feeling we need in the world right now.”

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