Here, for anyone who's interested, is a rather nice review of the Glasgow gig on Saturday from the Glasgow Herald. Belle and Sebastian's cellist and vocalist, Bel Campbell, has made a solo album under the name The Gentle Waves. Critics who pretend to regret that B&S triumphed over the group Steps at the Brit Awards detect in The Green Fields of Foreverland a fey indie-girl indulging in an Edwardian hippy picnic, and this on the strength of the title alone. But the true and now considerable B&S fanbase is highly motivated. A girl in the audience, announces Stuart Murdoch, has followed the Gentle Waves to Leeds, London, and Cardiff, apparently finding the latter gig cancelled ("Say you're sorry!" calls a voice). Allowing Mr Murdoch to romp after this particular stick on his own, Bel busies herself with her role as band leader, introducing Margaret Smith (flute, xylophone, etc) pointing out that we already know everyone else. And indeed, the rest of the seven-piece band are all members of the Belle & Sebastian collective. However, the Gentle Waves turns out not to be B&S beneath a shifting spotlight. At it's heart is Bel's small, soft voice. Around her, the band move from one instrument to another, sympathetically changing the textures from a loping country bass and slide guitar to glittering arpeggio with muted horn and flute. The timeless scene is set by two short French movies : The Red Balloon and Truffaut's Les Mistons. Stories of naive grace, love misunderstood, loss and understanding, light and darkness. The chanteuse is dressed in black, the model of a student teacher in mid-calf pleated skirt. She sings Evensong in French translation, or perhaps that is how she wrote it. The Gentle Waves: not so much a gig as an event. (By Peter Easton) Also, do Chris and Keith know that Chas and Dave are playing at the Cottier Theatre on Monday? Perhaps you could pick up some tips on how to keep your rabbits going for longer. That's all. Alasdair x +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the reborn Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". WWW: http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "nambling pambling rice pudding & crochet holiday camp +-+ +-+ gangwanking whimsy-thon" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+