Belle and Sebastian
Date: February 26, 2006 We'll Set Something Ablaze The latest tour from Belle and Sebastian saw them paired with a very fitting support act, The New Pornographers. Each band knows how to create a perfect pop hook; and each delivers a full sound. In Montreal, the similarities were solidified over the course of the sets, although it was definitely Belle and Sebastian's night, as they had the crowd enthralled from start to finish. Although The New Pornographers had headlined the same venue in the fall, on this night they were unpretentious openers. They launched into the title track from Twin Cinema with little fuss and maintained a brisk pace that saw them squeeze fifteen songs into a one-hour set. With the catalogue of consistent gems that The New Pornographers have built over three albums, it is easy to imagine them drawing songs at random and still crafting a seamless set; and the selection that they offered on this night was certainly faultless.
The band's six-piece line-up was lacking Dan Bejar and Neko Case, which was one knock against their show. In fact, for the first song or two, it seemed that Kathryn Calder might not be up to the task of filling in for Neko's vocals, as she seemed fairly muted. However, the fault was likely only a consequence of early mixing imperfections, as her voice quickly assumed a very prominent role; and she proved herself to be one of the more engaging and energetic performers, albeit slightly shy of Neko's soaring voice. Kathryn's pep was welcome, as most of the band was restrained, keeping the focus on frontman A.C. Newman. Fortunately, Newman was more than capable of being the centrepiece, whether through his playing or through his banter. Even in a very tight set, he found the time to divert into charmingly awkward rambles, including speculation as to which band would win in a fight. (He liked his odds.) As amusing as Newman was, though, perhaps the greatest entertainment value came from drummer Kurt Dahle, who was constantly twirling and tossing his drumsticks, and whose animated and expressive playing best illustrated the fun of the music. However, if the rest of the group simply let the songs speak for themselves, that was no shame, either. With such offerings as "Mass Romantic," "Stacked Crooked," "The Bones of an Idol" (another number dominated by Kathryn), "It's Only Divine Right," and "Sing Me Spanish Techno," it was not a set that cried for embellishment. As solid as The New Pornographers were, the crowd was obviously eager for Belle and Sebastian. When the group took the stage and commenced with "The State That I Am In," they were greeted with a huge audience reaction. This energy was sustained throughout the night and it played a major role in the success of the concert. While Belle and Sebastian were not augmented by a small string section, as they were on their last tour, they still ranged from six to nine players, depending on the song. As with The New Pornographers, though, the majority of the band avoided the spotlight, with the focus resting on frontman Stuart Murdoch and guitarist Stevie Jackson, who also had his turns on lead vocals. Each had the female fans squealing for their knowingly spasmodic dance moves, despite the fact that Stuart cited Molly Ringwald as the inspiration for one sequence. Stuart undoubtedly took the crown for his grin-inducing banter, following the tone set by A.C. Newman earlier in the night. From explaining a keyboard mistake by recounting the recent dream that he had been pondering while playing ("and he didn't even have legs, just . . . wheels"), to commiserating over the loss of the Expos, to fielding advice on how to spend his last Canadian twenty dollar bill before leaving the country, Stuart's goofy charm always won a laugh. With their strong new release, The Life Pursuit accounting for a half dozen songs over the night, the band left themselves plenty of room in a lengthy set to survey their back catalogue. In contrast to the stylistic precision of The New Pornographers, Belle and Sebastian have covered a much wider musical range over the years; and their career-spanning set touched on many of their diverse pursuits. The clinical sonics of "Electronic Renaissance" stood with the warm, fuzzed-out soul of "White Collar Boy"; the stripped-down "Piazza, New York Catcher" bumped against the disco bounce of "Your Cover's Blown"; and it all worked. By the time that an hour and twenty-five minute set had been capped with an encore of "String Bean Jean" and "Sleep the Clock Around," the band had certainly met all expectations. With a tight set loaded with pop hooks, great playing, and a silly yet rocking frontman, The New Pornographers definitely set the tone for the evening. Belle and Sebastian built on that foundation, and on a rabid audience, to complete a fantastic concert. The New Pornographers setlist Set
Belle and Sebastian setlist Main Set
<--Prev (Cuff the Duke) | Next (Magnolia Electric Co.)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |