Underworld Play Open Until Close at Showbox SoDo

The legendary electronic music duo, Underworld was in town playing the Showbox SoDo. It was the first time seeing them here as tour dates in the States are rare, especially in Seattle. The timing was finally perfect, and we got one of their six U.S. tour dates this spring. It’s so crazy that after all these years of listening to them this was the first time getting one of their sets. All their fans in the area were thrilled for the show and the enthusiasm really showed throughout the night and made the show even more special.

Underworld formed in 1987, primarily consisting of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith, who have been performing as a duo for some years now. After their single “Born Slippy .NUXX” was used in the hit film, Trainspotting, the group saw massive success around the world. They influenced musicians who would follow years later with their genre blending and stream of consciousness lyrics. Their fifth album Beaucoup Fish released after the single would become a classic for electronic music lovers.

This was an enjoyable show as the duo performed two separate sets playing open until close. The first set started at 8:00 and lasted an hour and then the next one started at 9:30 and lasted until about 11:00 the closing of the show. It may have taken years to catch them live, but at least they played for a very long time and the set was absolutely incredible.

The first set mostly had the band standing behind the deck set up and the second one brought Hyde to the front. The really cool thing was that there were two people holding spotlights on their shoulders that followed Hyde during this set. This was so unique as I’ve never seen people holding spots in the middle of the pit before, and it made a really cool warehouse vibe that almost transported us to the old rave scene.

Hyde danced around the whole night with his oversized jeans, still looking like the coolest person in the room. This is the type of energy I would love to see from every performer, especially at the age of 68. He is still having the time of his life performing new songs and being around the fans that show them so much love. The music was incredible, and we had truly forgotten how nice it was to be around that energy, dancing so hard. It may have taken years and years to catch them perform but this was truly worth it and something we won’t be forgetting any time soon.