Nerds no more: faithful fans' Belle epoch arrives

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday March 11, 2011

Reviewed by Bernard Zuel

BELLE AND SEBASTIANMetro, March 9Reviewed by Bernard ZuelTHE occasional funky Belle and Sebastian, like the beefy, triple-guitar Belle and Sebastian we also get sometimes, are no longer surprising or even shocking to those who might still feel the need to wear a long scarf and National Health glasses to their gigs.Not that we should mistake a groove-conscious B&S for a Scottish James Brown and the Flames, of course. As was made clear in the night's opening song,I Didn't See It Coming, the world hasn't quite turned on its head that much: despite its drum loops, disco synths and pushy bass, the song still finds Sarah Martin near-whispering the yearning "Make me dance, I want to surrender", rather than any Glaswegian-accented "Get on up, get on the scene like a sex machine".It shouldn't be forgotten that even in their bustling mode B&S still work on what you might call the falling vocal line - the way that whether it's Stuart Murdoch, Martin or Stevie Jackson up front, the voice and melodies look down, not up; always carry at least a hint of sadness, and are more in danger of drifting away than slapping you in the mush.But, hey, let's not pretend that even the mild-mannered Scots can't make you move and grin simultaneously in old songs such as If You're Feeling Sinister (greeted by one of the biggest cheers of the night) and She's Losing It; middle-period songs such as The Blues Are Still Blue (where they remind some of the older folk here of under-appreciated '70s British acts Pilot and Sailor), or new songs such as I'm Not Living In The Real World. Golly, they even gleefully resurrected Legal Man, with its mix of ye-ye insouciance and bachelor pad cool and had us dancing.With crowd participation at devotee level, much banter from the stage and a two-hour set that barely flagged, Belle and Sebastian have comfortably gone from the private soundtrack for those who were bullied at school and ignored at the disco to the party band of choice for people who are quite happy being themselves, thank you very much, and want to sing along.