Artist: Belle &
Sebastian
Venue: Admiralspalast
Location: Berlin,
Germany
Date: 17 February 2018
Opening Act: Jane
Weaver
Setlist:
01. Nobody's Empire
01. Nobody's Empire
02. I'm a Cuckoo
03. We Were Beautiful
04. Expectations
05. Step Into My
Office, Baby
06. Sweet Dew Lee
07. Sukie in the
Graveyard
08. Piazza, New York
Catcher
09. I'll Be Your Pilot
10. I Don't Love Anyone
11. The Same Star
12. Show Me the Sun
13. Dear Catastrophe
Waitress
14. The Boy with the
Arab Strap
15. The Party Line
16. Like Dylan in the
Movies
Encore:
17. Judy and the Dream
of Horses
18. I Want the World to
Stop
Despite the 7:30 start
time listed on my ticket and on the venue website, opener Jane
Weaver came on stage right at
7pm. She played some keyboards and was backed by a guitarist, a
drummer, and a variety of preprogrammed synthesizers. Her style was
heavily indebted to classic-era Stereolab,
with a propulsive, snare-heavy rhythm and a trance-like shimmer.
However, the music suffered from an oddly hampered
energy, perhaps inflicted by a poor mix. The guitarist was nearly
inaudible in most songs, and the low end was sorely lacking. A strong
bassist would've given the songs a major boost. Weaver, despite being
difficult to understand, was a strong vocalist, and the drummer was
captivating, even though he lost three drumsticks during the last
song.
[Jane Weaver. I wasn't
able to get any pictures of Belle & Sebastian, but they don't
look that much differently than before.]
Belle &
Sebastian started with the moving opener of their last album
(Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance),
"Nobody's Empire", again accompanied by the same type of
YouTube-style slideshow as when I
saw them last in Austin. They
proceeded to alternate songs from their new EPs and classic tracks
with a heavy emphasis on Dear Catastrophe Waitress
(2003). The first deviation,
"Sukie in the Graveyard"
was the groovy success that it always is. However,
"Piazza, New York
Catcher", again played in a low-key full-band arrangement,
remains
an oddly overrated number in their
catalog. (Seriously, why is that the most-listened-to song by the band on Spotify? Is
it just because it appeared
on the Juno
soundtrack?)
The
band played five songs from the new EP series, more than most nights
of the tour, yet still nothing from the last of the three, despite
its release the day before the show. The new songs fit the mold of
the band's modern style without advancing the bar too far. In fact,
due to
my relative unfamiliarity with them, I briefly confused several
with older songs. The melodies and arrangements felt familiar, which
isn't to say that the songs aren't good, but most of them are
interchangeable with their
last couple albums. The exception was "Show Me the Sun",
which prominently features an annoying "na na na" vocal
hook, making it memorable for the wrong reasons.
The
core six members of the band were again joined by Dave
McGowan on guitar and bass;
Sarah Willson on cello, keyboards,
and flute; and CJ Camerieri
on trumpet. All three also
added occasional percussion. With nine people on stage that were
generally all audible and clear, Belle & Sebastian must have a
superb sound crew. The
harmonies were consistently on point, and even the flutes were
skillfully equalized and emphasized enough to be prominent and
distinct.
"Dear
Catastrophe Waitress" was introduced with a picture
of the waitress in question, seemingly the same woman gracing the
cover of the album of the same name. Stuart Murdoch recalled getting
hit in the face with a pie by her at a show in Berlin circa 2002.
He said he was sure that she was in the crowd again, and just as the
song started, a woman that indeed looked very
similar to the two pictures climbed on stage and danced with the
band.
The
same woman stayed on stage for "The Boy with the Arab Strap",
and as per tradition, Stuart invited about a dozen audience members
onto stage to dance with the rest of the band until the end of the
set. "The Party Line", one of the best tracks from their
last album, was given a strong showing, as was the classic "Like
Dylan in the Movies".
No
one was surprised that they came back for an encore, and after Stuart
asked for requests from only the women of the crowd, they treated us
to two more of their best. The superb "Judy and the Dream of
Horses" was apparently the first thing Stuart heard. "I
Want the World to Stop", the
best track off Write About Love
(2010), garnered a large number of shouts and was duly honored by the
band.
The
band managed
to walk a fine line between the orchestrated folk of their early days
and the well-produced, synthesizer-heavy pop of their recent work.
They made
them fit together as if they
always belonged together, joined seamlessly by Stuart's wit and a
large cast of talented performers. I miss the stronger emphasis on
the string parts, but the flutes were still solid, and I'm also a fan
of keyboards. By this point
in their career, they perform
as a well-honed unit. They performed songs from across their 22-year
catalog nearly flawlessly. There was hardly a weak moment to be
found, and even their least impressive songs are still far from bad.
Scores:
Jane Weaver: C+
Belle & Sebastian:
A-
P.S. Thanks to Alyssa!
