Photo: WENN.com
Bombay Bicycle Club did their upmost to give the rain soaked revelers a night to remember at Alexandra Palace last night.
They certainly succeeded in staging a brilliant performance that had a bit of everything from rock, indie, folk, acoustic, horns, piano and much more. The Ally Pally audience quickly forget about being forced to queue outside in the April showers when the London four- piece were unveiled dramatically from a translucent sheet as they kicked into gear with opening track 'How Can you Swallow So Much Sleep?'
As BBC have produced an album almost every year since they emerged in 2008, they already have a whole host of songs to choose from to make up an impressive setlist. Tonight's choice of songs shows off just how many strings the band have to their bow, especially when halfway through, they strip things down to play a couple of acoustic numbers. Not only was this extremely refreshing, but the songs 'Rinse Me Down' and 'Ivy & Gold' were two of several fan favourites that had everybody moving.
Showcasing their varied talents didn’t end there, as frontman Jack Steadman, who was swapping instruments throughout the show, gave a solo piano performance of 'Still', which prompted a few raised lighters and mobile phones. Not wanting to miss out on impressing the audience, drummer Suren de Saram was under the spotlight when another drum was carried onstage which he incorporated into a catchy solo.
Solo artist Lucy Rose joined the boys for several of their biggest numbers including 'Lights Out, Words Gone' and added another dimension to Steadman’s unique vocals. Steadman and his gang were clearly honoured to be there as the historic venue is so close to where they all grew up and met each other. "One of the first pictures of us as a band was taken on Jamie’s roof and you can see this place in the background," said Steadman.
Just before the encore BBC had the whole of Ally Pally bouncing to 'Always Like This', their flagship single that shot them into the indie public's eye with its jittery hook and sing-a-long chorus.
If this wasn't enough, they returned onstage jumping around to their most recent hit single, 'Shuffle', which induced a real party atmosphere in the crowd before thanking everyone for turning up and finishing with 'What If?'
Bombay Bicycle Club are a band with many different talents as they have shown by releasing both electric and acoustic albums. They are clearly not scared to push themselves and to keep learning more about their craft. If they can continue in this vein, then they are going to be a force to be reckoned with.
