Today we bring you the second half of our coverage of The New Pornographers and Belle and Sebastian at the 9:30 Club. Yesterday Jason reviewed Carl Newman and his half-staffed band; today Hemal shares her take on the surprisingly energetic Scottish crowd-pleasers Belle and Sebastian.
Stuart Murdoch didn’t waste any time charming the proverbial pants off the crowd Monday night at the 9:30 club. The lead singer of the Glaswegian Belle and Sebastian bounded on stage and immediately began flattering his audience, but in the most sincere and charming way possible. “I can already tell you’re a better crowd then last night…much hipper…it’s the Monday night party crowd!” he said to adoring cheers.
With that, the seven-strong Belle and Sebastian launched into “Expectations,” a whimsical number about being bullied at school, from their debut “Tigermilk.” The number, despite the semi-serious subject matter, set the airy and light tone for the rest of the evening. If there’s one thing the band is good at, it’s underscoring the daily scuffles and disappointments of life with a bright and cheery soundtrack.
For much of the night, Murdoch danced his slight frame around the stage, jumping in a rhythmic fashion, arms flailing, feet kicking out every so often, causing the ladies in the audience to screech like school girls. In short, it was the best kind of uncoordinated hodge podge of joyous motion that Murdoch had clearly honed in the discotheques back home. After finishing up “Another Sunny Day,” he paused for breath and joked about feeling like he was in an 80’s movie.
As much as Murdoch captivates the audience, the rest of the band, which consists of Stevie Jackson (dressed for success in a lovely suit) on guitar and vocals, Sarah Martin (also on vocals), keyboardist Chris Geddes, drummer Richard Colburn, and featuring Mick Cooke and bassist Bob Kildea, deserves attention. The band holds their own on big numbers such as the new single,”Your Cover’s Blown.” A funky number with bits of blues thrown in, the song bares little resemblance to their softer, more somber early work. In fact, the main take away from the entire evening was the sheer level of rock and energy that Belle and Sebastian brought to the stage. Never having seen their live show before, we were fully expecting a low-key, strummy-yet-satisfying performance. We were proved wrong in the best kind of way.
