Almost thirty years after first forming in Glasgow, Belle & Sebastian have finally made it – these cult indie favourites have just been immortalised as characters in The Simpsons, cast as the band in Groundskeeper Willie’s wedding flashback scene after the show’s creators were looking for a new song for the soundtrack in the style of Belles favourite Judy and the Dream of Horses.
The band revisited the original charmer of a number in the encore of this special filmed show of their own, but the rest of the setlist here demonstrated how far they have come since the breathy whimsy of their early run of albums.
Piazza, New York Catcher was an easy-listening country amble with mournful mouth organ, and Dear Catastrophe Waitress is a part canter with mariachi trumpet embellishment, while live set staple The Boy With the Arab Strap is a Scottish indie vision of the southern soul, with that warm electric piano intro beckoning their fans onstage for the customary joyful dance-along.
Joyful was the watchword for the evening from a band who revel in community. There was a brief nod to the isolation of lockdown during I Want The World to Stop (be careful what you wish for), which was accompanied by drone footage of deserted streets but otherwise, this was a warm, informal celebration of a band and their fans.
Highlights included the catchy clang of I’m a Cuckoo, an unplanned Funny Little Frog, requested via homemade audience sign and destined to stick in the head afterwards, and the funky melodrama of Your Cover’s Blown, during which frontman Stuart Murdoch went walkabout in the venue in the entirely appropriate style of a bandleader who always seeks to break down the barriers between performer and audience.
