Belle & Sebastian, Dublin, Feb 6th
Now, I was always going to enjoy this gig. There was no way they would disappoint me, I just knew it. And, white jeans aside, they did not.
I used to go to loads of gigs, mainly when I was a student living in Sheffield, where there were lots and lots of bands playing. I enjoyed most of them a great deal. One or two were a little disappointing, but that’s what comes of seeing bands play live, and I really shouldn’t have been suprised that Evan Dando was totally wasted and couldn’t remember the words to his songs.
Anyway, most gigs I’ve loved. Some bands/performers are good: it’s nice to see them live - there’s a great buzz about it. Some people (Bowie for example) have this awesome stage presence and energy. I’ve been to three gigs where the performers have sounded simply amazing: Lamb, Beth Orton, and now Belle and Sebastian. I generally figure that bands have the noise they make tidied up in the studio so it sounds all pretty for the cd - these guys sounded better live.
Everyone last night was just, well, nice. The band are so talented - everyone seemed to play a selection of instruments and 12 musicians all paying at once could have gone horribly wrong but didn’t, it sounded beautiful. I could have listened to them all night. They have a really broad repertoire, but even the slower songs sound cheerful on the surface, and even the faster, more disco like songs sound fucked up when you listen to the lyrics.
Anyway, go see them if you get the chance.
