01 Invaders Must Die 4:55
instrumental
The first single: on 26 November 2008 it was a free download on the band’s website, yet it still reached number 49 in the UK. First aired on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show.
On the 2008–2010 tour: 167 of 189 shows
2009
Invaders Must Die
The fifth album came out on 23 February 2009 on the band’s own label and went straight to number one in the UK. Keith and Maxim are back on record, and the band played Skonto Hall in Riga on 3 October 2009.
By day you can move the stickers. At night the spotlights come on and the three take the stage.
The 2009 line-up
ACCESS ALL AREAS
ACCESS ALL AREAS
ACCESS ALL AREAS
The album, track by track
Tap a track — the record spins and the needle drops onto its groove.
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The cover. The sticker beside it is our own drawing: a round flying saucer with a green alien waving from the dome. It is a joke on the title, not the album cover.
The title. Invaders Must Die. The fifth album came out on 23 February 2009 (46 minutes, 11 tracks). A special edition with bonus tracks and remixes followed later.
02 Omen 3:36
Keith, Maxim
The second single (16 February 2009): number 4 in the UK, the best since Breathe in 1996. Number one on UK Dance and in Canada. Kerrang! Award for Best Single.
On the 2008–2010 tour: 168 of 189 shows
03 Thunder 4:08
Brother Culture (vocals)
Recreates elements of Trevor Joe’s Ethiopian Peace Song; Joe is credited as co-writer.
On the 2008–2010 tour: 52 of 189 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Trevor Joe — Ethiopian Peace Song
04 Colours 3:27
Keith, Maxim, Amanda Ghost (backing)
Keith Flint and John Fortis are among the writers.
On the 2008–2010 tour: 15 of 189 shows
05 Take Me to the Hospital 3:39
Keith, Maxim
The third single (31 August 2009): number 38 in the UK and number one on UK Dance, the band’s last UK top 40 hit. It shares its name with the band’s label. Liam made the Wreckage mix with Josh Homme.
On the 2008–2010 tour: 164 of 189 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Pepe Deluxé — Salami Fever
- Asher D & Daddy Freddy — Ragamuffin Duo Take Charge
06 Warrior’s Dance 5:12
Bridget Grace (co-writer)
The second commercial single (11 May 2009): number 9 in the UK and number one on UK Dance. Jeff Mills is among the co-writers.
On the 2008–2010 tour: 187 of 189 shows
07 Run with the Wolves 4:24
Keith, Dave Grohl (drums)
Dave Grohl plays the live drums. Written by Liam and Keith Flint. The sample is So Refined by Senser.
On the 2008–2010 tour: 172 of 189 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Senser — So Refined
08 Omen (Reprise) 2:14
Maxim
The shortest track on the album, at two minutes fourteen. A short return to the Omen theme.
On the 2008–2010 tour: 129 of 189 shows
09 World’s on Fire 4:50
Keith, Maxim
The band previewed it on 13 July 2008 at Oxegen, with Warrior’s Dance and Mescaline. The sample is I Just Wanna Get Along by The Breeders; Kim Deal is a co-writer. The 2011 live album is called World’s on Fire.
On the 2008–2010 tour: 186 of 189 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- The Breeders — I Just Wanna Get Along
10 Piranha 4:05
Maxim
The samples include Troubled Mind by Buff Medways and Kishore Kumar’s Sara Zamana, from Indian cinema. Written by Liam, Maxim and Scrapper.
Not played on the 2008–2010 tour
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Buff Medways — Troubled Mind
- Kishore Kumar — Sara Zamana
11 Stand Up 5:30
Dave Grohl (drums)
It closes the album. Dave Grohl again plays the live drums. The sample is One Way Glass by Manfred Mann Chapter Three.
On the 2008–2010 tour: 1 of 189 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Manfred Mann Chapter Three — One Way Glass
- №1Number one on the UK Albums Chart: 97,254 copies in the first week, the band’s fourth UK number one in a row. 58 on the US Billboard 200. Double platinum in the UK.
- HospitalThe album came out on the band’s own label, Take Me to the Hospital (distributed by Cooking Vinyl). A track of the same name is the album’s third single.
- 2006–2008Recording ran from February 2006 to November 2008, in London and New York. The producers are Liam Howlett and James Rushent of Does It Offend You, Yeah? The release slipped: first summer 2007, then early 2008.
- GrohlRun with the Wolves and Stand Up have live drums by Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, formerly Nirvana). Keith and Maxim are back on record: the first album since Leeroy left with every member in the creative process.
- 60/100Reviews were mixed: 60 out of 100 on Metacritic (Pitchfork 5.8/10). Zane Lowe made the title track his “Hottest Record in the World”. Omen won the Kerrang! Award for Best Single.
Track battle
Tracks from the album: pick the stronger one. The ranking uses Elo is a rating system from chess. Every track starts at 1500 points. The track you pick takes points from its rival: beating a strong track earns a lot, beating a weak one earns little, and an upset earns the most. The more votes, the more accurate the ranking. “Your ranking” uses your votes, “Overall ranking” uses every fan’s votes..
or
votes: 0
- Invaders Must Die1500
- Omen1500
- Thunder1500
- Colours1500
- Take Me to the Hospital1500
Video shop: the era’s clips
Slide a tape into the VCR.
Invaders Must Die 2008
- Director
- Cordelia Plunket
- Shot at
- The English countryside and the Thames: the acoustic mirrors at Denge and a Maunsell sea fort in the Thames Estuary.
The actor Noel Clarke walks through lonely places and either meets or creates the “ant”, the band’s symbol. The band itself is on screen for only a few seconds.
Find it on YouTube ↗Omen 2009
- Director
- Paul Dugdale
- Shot at
- A rave show: live footage of the band and a girl with plaits clutching a glockenspiel (per NME).
The video appeared on YouTube on 19 January 2009, a month before the album. Per Wikipedia it is live footage of the band cut with scenes of a mysterious girl. The director is credited on IMVDb.
Find it on YouTube ↗Warrior’s Dance 2009
- Director
- Corin Hardy
- Shot at
- A pub where puppet cigarette packets throw a rave. Puppetry and stop-frame animation.
Three humanoid packets with the band’s logos start a rave with other packets, and a fire breaks out on a table. Next morning the landlord finds only burnt cardboard. The packets carry a Ukrainian health warning.
Outcome. The video won best music video at the 2009 Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival. It was meant to premiere on Channel 4, was postponed, and went up on Myspace and YouTube on 3 April.
Find it on YouTube ↗Take Me to the Hospital 2009
- Director
- Paul Dugdale
- Shot at
- A derelict building, which the band says is a former mental hospital.
The band dances in a derelict building, walks to an ambulance, climbs in and trashes it; then people in black bear masks spray-paint the vehicle. The video premiered on the PS3 app VidZone on 4 August 2009 and on the band’s site and YouTube a day later.
Find it on YouTube ↗Run with the Wolves 2010
- Director
- Rob Wicksteed
An animated video made by the winner of a fan contest: about 300 entries came in and the band picked Rob Wicksteed’s. The other entries were promised a place on the band’s website.
Find it on YouTube ↗The 2008–2010 tour on a map
Drag the slider or press “Play tour” — shows light up date by date. Tap a dot to see its setlist.
- shows
- 206
- countries
- 44
- km as the crow flies
- 306,379
Tap a dot on the map.
What they played
Out of 189 full setlists. Tap a song to see where it was played.
Era timeline
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Test yourself
5 questions on the era. Get 4 right and the secret “Archaeologist” stamp is yours.
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The era in the Baltics
Rīga · Skonto Hall · 03.10.2009. The era’s show in the Baltics: Riga, 2009.
Concert capsule →Rīga 2009
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Fans’ photos
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