söndag 2 Okt 2011, 16:01

Sat 1 Oct – Bombay Bicycle Club, Dry The River, Dog Is Dead

The first of the month is regularly viewed as a new start, a fresh beginning, a day for pocket money to be renewed – and with that comes the hopeful optimism that the future is bright with the promise of new adventures. On this day, the 1st of October 2011, Bombay Bicycle Club confirmed such notions. Having departed their days of jagged guitar circa I Had the Blues but I Shook Them Loose, their acoustic coos of Flaws, BBC are embracing an upbeat revival encompassing a myriad of texture and sampling alike with A Different Kind of Fix.

Positioned comfortable at the barrier, slightly left of being square on in front of the boys, we waited for the first support band, Dog is Dead. Harmonies were in abundance, and their subtly powerful ambience overwhelmed. The painful interval of heavy bass music between bands was then rectified with the presence of the next support, Dry the River. Opening with No Rest, a mighty build-up blew the audience away, heads nodding in approval all around. Unfortunately, I can’t remember much else of the set due to passing out standing up, thanks to the intense tropical heat that graced the country last week. No such lie shall pass from my lips as I say (or indeed, my fingers as they tap the keyboard) that the looming performance of Bombay Bicycle Club pulled me through semi-consciousness. Well, that and the frantic shaking from members of the audience and stewards, followed by personal space and a glass of water. It wasn’t my proudest moment. The basslines of yet more interval music rattled my oesophagus, which gradually faded into the piano sample of Shuffle and then the long-awaited appearance of the band themselves. The audience became manic with excitement, with deafening roars of anticipation for what the night would soon bring. The night continued in much the same way, ensuring the balance between old and new was intact. After playing their “last song” of the evening, the band retreated to the wings – while a piano was escorted onto stage. Jack Steadman then returned to show us at his finest and rawest; with fingers stroking keys, he reached the heartstrings of every living member in that audience, playing the beautiful Still and harmonising with the lovely coos of Lucy Rose. The evening concluded finely with an angsty What If, a song I was hoping for in particular. Despite the aforementioned heat, the evening was fantastic. Definitely recommend a BBC showing to anyone with an eye for decent music. Well done, lads!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDuif301F-8bombay bicycle clubreview