Music > Live Reviews

Belle and Sebastian @ Open, Norwich

11/05/15

Well, that was unexpected. I was expecting Belle & Sebastian to be the fey, indie types they were 20 years ago. God, am I behind the times! Tonight, from the playing to the light show and back-projections, this is a slick and taut set. Rooted in indie it may by but there’s room for funk and muscle and Stuart Murdoch is an engaging frontman.

Playing for nigh on two hours, the set covers all bases from the very first single to current album Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance. Without a duff track in sight, the highlights include Stars of Track and Field, Perfect Couples, Electronic Renaissance, Boy With The Arab Strap and Blues Are Still Blue.

Given the number of musicians on stage – and the polite (invited) stage invaders – things could have got messy but stay tight, despite the punter in a frog outfit... (9/10)

Baltimore’s Lower Dens have been around since 2010 and are three albums into their career. Musically, it is quite enthralling nugaze/dreampop with hints of 80s electro and Ultra-era Depeche. Unfortunately, however good the music, this is let down by the presentation. I don’t think I have ever seen a band look so bored and uninterested before. The between song chat is embarrassingly stilted. This is such a shame and the songs deserve better presentation. (6/10)