Editors still beloved by fans after a decade

Editors, stronger and as stable as ever, are looking forward to returning to Ireland for their headline slot at Indiependence, writes Ed Power

EDITORS’ Tom Smith was part of a generation of nerdy, anguished frontman seemingly poised to conquer rock music in the 2000s. Together with Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, he represented a break from the genre’s bad-boy tradition. All these singers shared a skittish, should–I-really-be-doing-this stage demeanour and a visible determination to reject rock’s hammier cliches (flailing around drunk, crowd surfing, etc). Forget boozy riders or backstage trysts — what Smith and chums needed, it appeared, was a hug and a cup of tea. “Nice” was the new rock’ n roll.

But while Martin and Lightbody would go on to become Glastonbury-gobbling mega-stars, Editors have stayed just below the radar — adored by fans, but never making that leap into proper, pursued-by-paparazzi fame.