Growing Old Gracefully; Belle And Sebastian Delight In Manchester
Published
Glasgow’s Indie stalwarts return to Manchester and show they are growing old gracefully. A year off their 20th anniversary, Stuart Murdoch and co bring their indie alt-pop and northern soul to The Albert Hall for a second sold out night. Rejuvenated by their ninth politically charged studio LP, ‘Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance’ the band seem in buoyant mood as they take to stage.
The set takes some time to warm up but Murdoch’s venture into the crowd for ‘Our Song’ brings the auditorium to life. He stands hand in hand with one of the members of the front row who echoes every lyric back to him like it was their own. ‘The Party Line’ see’s Stevie Jackson rock out on his synth driven 80’s keytar while ‘We Rule The School’ brings a more solid driving melody.
As expected, the visuals are enticing throughout and the retro modern dance film to accompany the ‘Perfect Couple’ is a standout moment almost so that it takes emphasis of the actual performance. The ‘The Boy With The Arab Strap’ and ‘I Didn’t See it Coming’ have the crowd in the palm of their hand and see the chosen few from the audience join the band on-stage sending the place into raptures.
It’s a career spanning set which shows Belle and Sebastian’s diversity with an undercurrent of political dissidence. There is a warmth and enigmatic charm to the band’s latest incarnation and it would be hard not to label tonight’s show success, although there are several moments in the 90 minutes which do feel a bit safe there is no doubt that the band will be around above and beyond that 20th anniversary. Check them out at a festival near you soon.
To find out more about Belle and Sebastian click here.
To visit the Belle and Sebastian Facebook page click here.
Words by Sam Kershaw
