Venue:
Westminster Methodist Central Hall
Date: 11/05/2015
It’s hard to believe that the svelte, Peter Pan-like figure of Stuart Murdoch has been fronting Belle and Sebastian for nigh on 20 years. At a venue that I last visited aged 11 for a model railway exhibition and which more recently featured in one of the pre-election leaders’ debates, he led the band through a fine blend of old and new.
Preceded by a short, 1971 documentary on a big screen above the stage, about the plans for the redevelopment of Glasgow, the ten piece band, plus an underutilized and under amped four piece string section kicked off with “Nobody’s Empire”. This well-crafted tale of Murdoch’s struggles with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was accompanied by a beautiful montage of black and white images on the display above him.
The third song in, “Party Line”, allowed Murdoch to unleash his Disco Stu persona early in the evening, as keytars were wielded amidst the effortlessly swapping of instruments. Half way through the set a couple were invited on stage so that a proposal of marriage could be made whilst the band serenaded them with “Piazza, New York Catcher”. What they would have played if she’d said “no” is anybody’s guess! The ever gregarious band invited most of the front row on stage to dance along with them towards the end of the gig before closing with “Photo Jenny” which they just about remembered the chords and words to.
The audience:
A high proportion of couples. Females: Polka dot of dress; Males: Hirsute of chin.
It made me think..
This was far and away the best thing to have happened at Westminster in the past seven days.
I should have invited one of my female friends rather than a mountain biking mate in order to fit in better!
The Methodists still managed to have some influence as a voucher system in the venue meant that no punter could buy more than two bottles of beer.
Sounds good. Seeing them in Manchester on Friday; looking forward to it.
They were fantastic in Portsmouth last week – they do seem not to have planned what to play in the encore which added to the everning with requests for audience help with the words!
It was a on the whole a good gig my only complaint is why have a four-piece string section if your sound man is going to put them so low down the mix that you can hardly hear them? May be it was a one off….
Saw them here in Bangkok a few months back. Great fun and a surprisingly big turn out.
Brilliant in Manchester tonight. Great setlists which clearly varies from night to night, and Murdoch is a really enjoyable frontman – reminds me of Tim Booth – similarly awkward bad dancing, but irresistibly compelling and charismatic. And pleased to report that the strings were entirely audible.
Live in Glasgow CD available later this week, which will have to do me as the lazy gets have decided to bypass playing Belfast this time around.
https://concertlive.co.uk/product.php?id=378
Good shout – I’m going to that gig, so have signed up for the cd. Should be interesting, with the orchestra.