Scottish indie band Belle and Sebastian filled Göta Lejon in Stockholm with musical nostalgia during an unexpectedly upbeat Sunday evening. The band performed their 30th-anniversary debut album Tigermilk in full, creating a lively atmosphere despite the time of the week.
Belle and Sebastian are currently touring with their 30th-anniversary albums ”Tigermilk” and ”If you're feeling sinister”, performing one album per night in two consecutive concerts per city. At Göta Lejon in Stockholm, which was sold out twice, the atmosphere was lively on a Sunday evening. In the background, an image of an old studio with a rolling tape recorder was projected, and singer Stuart Murdoch welcomed the audience with: ”Welcome to Belle and Sebastian's first album recording”.
The concert opened with the song ”The state I am in”, setting the tone for the debut album's stories of upbringing, adulthood, sexual confusion, and spiritual musings. The band, which in the 90s provided a quieter contrast to britpop's laddish sound, performed with nine musicians on stage. Songs like ”Expectations” with festive trumpet, ”You’re just a baby” with rock’n’roll swing by guitarist Stevie Jackson, and ”Electronic renaissance” with disco flicker and melodica solo were mixed with chamber pop elements such as cello, piano, and flute.
After a short break, the band returned with a selection from their career, including the more recent ”Nobody's empire” that got the audience on their feet. Stevie Jackson's soul ballad ”Seymour Stein” did not dampen the enthusiasm. During ”The boy with the arab strap”, the audience streamed onto the stage, while Stuart Murdoch slipped up to the balcony to improvise and chat with spectators. The cozy feeling became more infectious than the music itself toward the end, according to reviewer Johanna Paulsson.
