*---* HAPPY BIRTHDAY SINISTER BABIES *---* Folk+Rock. How did Steeleye Span get it so very wrong?Hmm. Giles wrote: <<Reasons for liking B&S? They seem to be a very "human" band. In that I mean that they act like real people and not like star-struck seek-fame-at-the-expense-of-all-else fools that so many bands seem to develop into...>> Bang on! I think that's why they're so very special. For most bands, being 'real' means pretending never to have read a book, making sure everyone knows just how fiercely heterosexual you are and writing tawdry, 3 chord songs about drinking a lot, or writing love songs in the style of someone who's never known anything but lust. Belle and Sebastian don't seem to put anything on, they don't have big rock star egos- and the line between audience, friends and band members seems very fine indeed- hence, possibly the ever increasing number of band members. The band seem as happy on stage as they would making a cup of tea. << I find B&S to be an inspirational group of people, especially Stuart David's Ink Polaroids...and the music is good too.>> And they make me want to get off my arse and do things- write reviews (i'm getting on with it!), take photos, write plays, form a band. Now if all the new fans feel the same...it'll be an artistic revolution! And then Giles ends with a Richard Dawkins quote! I like you a lot already-I remember Dawkins from my theology days-I think it was him that called creationism 'intellectual excrement of the first order'. What a quote. What a god. Anyway, besides mopping up various old threads, this post had a point. Yeah! I wish to complain! Mark wrote: <<When i went to the Islington one it was one of the most annoying gigs EVER because everyone was being so REVERENT. I actually heard people saying "Just think in years to come we will be able to say we were here" BEFORE they'd even got into the building!>> Um, I think I was one of the ones saying that. But we were only joking. I don't think anyone dreamed back then that B&S would *really* make it, well, I didn't, and I still keep expecting to wake up from this fabulous dream. Anyway, we didn't mean it in a snobby way, it was more a way of expressing the incredible excitment, and atmosphere that the band generate live-each of their 'gigs' feels like the 'classic gigs of all time' that the idiots in Mojo go on about. And Belle and Sebastian demand reverence- (and irreverence of course, just look at the list.) But at least the 'London wankers' at Union Chapel kept their bloody mouths shut, and didn't heckle the band. Anyway, sorry for that half arselicking, half flaming post. In future I shall stick to writing about buses. (experts among you will have noticed that I said Maryhill, last time when I meant Hillhead. wrists slapped.) seb, (who thinks a short residency is nearly as good an idea as a floating venue, but not as good as playing the top deck of a southdown bus) +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". For list archives and searching, list rules, FAQ, poor jokes etc, see http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +---+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" +---+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+