See last month's review of the 'BBC Sessions' cd. The 2cd has now arrived containing the live recording from Belfast in 2001...
..and what a good snapshot it is of how a Belle & Sebastian gig was in 2001. Before they decided to become more 'professional' and take playing live more seriously their gigs were often ramshackle and erratic. I remember seeing them play in London around the same time as this recording and they disappeared mid-set for what seemed like an age, while we were 'entertained' by a local steel-drum group that Stuart Murdoch was fond of. From many bands this would come over as arrogant, but from B&S it was just misguided.
This recording is similarly unfocused. A member of the audience joins the band to sing 'Waiting For The Man' and while the selection process and song choosing is edited down here, I can imagine that on the night it took some time. Isobel Campbell sounds completely dis-interested and her vocals are at times, almost inaudible. But still there are some triumphs here: 'The Model' and 'The Wrong Girl' remind you that 'Fold Your Hands Child..' was a decent album in places and 'The Boy With The Arab Strap' is always magical to hear.
This is a pretty good representation of how B&S were at the time and while it is fun and sometimes heartwarming, it also demonstrates why things had to change. Its well worth buying the 2CD to reminisce though.
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