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Photo: Richard Gray
At a certain level of success, many bands have looked to reinterpret their music in more classical forms, for reasons both artistic and egotistical. The results are nearly always hit or miss - for every Elbow with a live orchestra, there's an incongruous Metallica S+M. For a band with a large back catalogue and a love of the conceptual, British Sea Power are a logical band to undertake such a project.
Their choice to work tonight with a 26-piece brass band, as opposed to strings, gives a more rugged feeling to proceedings while eluding towards dying British traditions on which the band's material has been known to capitalise. Divided by a perspex screen, oddly it is a six-piece British Sea Power who look more squashed on their half of the stage, not helped by the presence various items of foliage. Yet with nervous glances and careful coordination with Redbridge Brass' musical director Peter Wainright, the two elements combine surprisingly well.
Rising in crescendos, the brass element helps to emphasise a sense of scale and power in British Sea Power's music that guitars alone struggle to convey. 'Once More Now' and 'A Light above Descending' in particular are given a sense of gravitas previously unknown, assisted by a light and visual display that reinforces a Cold War-vibe (helped by the concrete bunker setting that is Barbican Hall).
Given the opportunity this collaboration provides however, there's a few odd set choices made. The presence of 'A Small Church in Sussex' gives little for Redbridge Brass to do and doesn't add anything to proceedings. Equally the absence of classic stompers such as 'Remember Me' or 'We Are Sound' is somewhat frustrating given the potential that lies therein.
It's the encore where this brass 'n' rock pairing really hits its stride, first on the anthemic 'Waving Flags' then on the atmospheric instrumental 'The Great Skua', before 'When The Warm Wind Blows Through The Grass' ends proceedings somewhat anti-climatically.
This gig is a brave and fantastic concept that has been well executed. With a few tweaks to the set list though, it would have been truly brilliant.
British Sea Power played:
Heavenly Waters
A Wooden Horse
Albert's Eyes
Interlude with Jock Scott
Atom
The Land Beyond
No Need To Cry
Once More Now
The Smallest Church In Sussex
Machineries of Joy
A Light Above Descending
Lately
Lights Out for Darker Skies
Encore:
Waving Flags
The Great Skua
When a Warm Wind Blows Through the Grass
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