It’s almost like having an old friend come to town. Someone you know and love and have grown up with — and adore catching up with.
Dance legends Faithless, and especially co-founder Sister Bliss, have been something of UAE regulars over the years — and very much welcome regulars too.
Faithless performed at the first Sandance (RIP, how you were loved) in 2011, Meydan at New Year 2013, various Beats on the Beach in Abu Dhabi and Bliss on the decks at Pacha last year.
With the vast Arabian Gulf on one side and the stunning backdrop of Dubai Marina on the other, there can’t be many cooler venues on earth than Zero Gravity to watch a Faithless DJ set featuring Sister Bliss.
And so it was on Friday night that Bliss, watched by a crowd that included former England international footballers Teddy Sheringham, Darren Anderton and Lee Bowyer — in town for the annual England Legends versus Scotland Legends game — smoothly curled one into the top corner.
Faithless split up in April 2011 but reformed for a hugely successful 20th anniversary tour at the tail end of 2015 and early 2016 to promote their commemorative Faithless 2.0 album.
The Faithless DJ set at Zero Gravity included favourites We Come 1, the always hauntingly beautiful Salva Mea, God is a DJ, and, of course, the tune the electronica group is by far most famous for, Insomnia.
Even after more than 20 years, hearing it live is still special, and still a guaranteed floor-filler.
Bliss also sprinkled the set, with a backdrop of beautifully artistic 3D projection, with her some of her own tunes — and by other artists too, such as Grum’s brilliant remix of the Tears for Fears classic Shout.
But a massive shout-out too for the up-tempo version of the thought-provoking tune Music Matters’ from 2006 Faithless album To All New Arrivals.
The lyrics are just as apt today: “For all those who stood up and were counted/ For all those for whom money was no motive/ For all those for whom music was a message/ I want to thank you/ For making me/ A little more sure/ A little more wise/ And courageous/ You told me to look much further/ You told me to walk much more/ You told me that music matters.”
It does indeed.
Come visit us again soon.
