Photo: Chris MacDonald
Since the surprise of last week’s election results, Westminster has already made the leap from figurative to literal battleground. So when the band take the stage and launch into 'Nobody’s Empire', a song detailing Stuart’s struggles with chronic fatigue (and a Tory government that didn’t deem him worthy of help), the setting – lovely in its own right – takes on an extra significance.
The venue’s political poignancy is amplified by a gigantic screen, showing a montage of beautiful black and white stills, interspersed with single words from the song’s lyrics, which pop up just as they are sung. Except for one. The word ‘COMPANIONSHIP’ gets a shot of its own, despite not featuring in the song. Just because it’s really important to stick together, isn’t it?
And as coincidence would have it, later a couple actually end up tying the knot on stage. Invited up by Stuart, under a pretence involving sleep-talking that Gigwise does not have room to relate, the question gets popped, then answered, and the lovers are serenaded with their song, 'Piazza New York Cather'. Huzzah for humanity!
The stage is also adorned by a string section. They don’t feature often – and to be honest they look a little awkward sat in the background – but when they do chime in it’s pretty glorious. Eternal tear jerker, 'We Rule the School', and the escalating whirl of 'Sleep the Clock Around' both come very much enriched for the addition of horse hair and cat gut.
As is their ritual, Belle and Sebastian have some of the audience up for a dance. A solitary girl with an adorable sign struts her stuff on stage during Jonathan David, whilst a whole cast of happy, helplessly unsynchronised bodies boogie to 'The Boy with the Arab Strap', which, to be fair, does beg to be boogied to.
The song ends with Stuart gradually conducting them into a steady clicked beat to accompanying his voice as it runs off and peters out – a touching image of togetherness. Reminding the crowd that this hall staged one of the pre-election debates, Stuart claims: “We’re the nice to be nice party”. On this showing, nice certainly looks like it would be nice.
Belle & Sebastian played:
Nobody's Empire
Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie
The Party Line
We Rule the School
Wrapped Up in Books
Piggy in the Middle
Perfect Couples
Piazza, New York Catcher
Electronic Renaissance
The Book of You
Jonathan David
I Didn't See It Coming
A Summer Wasting
The Boy with the Arab Strap
Legal Man
Sleep the Clock Around
Encore:
There's Too Much Love
Photo Jenny
