Those of you who were lucky enough to be at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert at Wembley will no doubt remember how disconcerting it was to see Queen without Freddie, even though they had replacements with the talent and charisma of, for example, George Michael and David Bowie. Surely it is a little churlish to expect Belle and Sebastain to play without Isobel Campbell, the nearest thing they have to Freddie Mercury? The Rolling Stones cancelled a huge stadium gig in Bilbao in July due to Mick Jagger's illness, and I'm pretty sure nobody expected them to perform in some kind of Mickless limbo, like a bunch of defecating elephants on downers. That's what Belle and Sebastian would be without Isobel, a bunch of defecating elephants on downers. Imagine Mick's tortured trumpet wails as he suddenly recalled poor wee Isobel's hospital plight. I dread to think what lyrics Mad Dog Murdoch would have come up with in his twisted state of advanced dementia. Illness already plays a major part in his deranged mindset, so if his thoughts were to wander to tiny little Isobel's predicament we could have ended up some kind of stream of healthcare consciousness ramble like Dylan '66 pondering NHS cuts. I'm sure Sarah would have trouble manhandling all the wierd watermelons on her lonesome, possibly resulting in a cocophonous death rattle from Peter Cushing's worst nightmares. On acid. In short, I have every faith that the band's democratic decision to not play was the correct one. Huzzah! Having said that, the wailing and gnashing of teeth on the list has been instructive at the very least. "Strike one", isn't that some kind of baseball terminology? What would have happened if B&S had cancelled in Leeds? Fluffy Sarah shouting "LEG BEFORE WICKET, BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, LEG BEFORE WICKET!" Somehow, I doubt it, but it's a charming thought. I would also like to agree with the person who would have liked to see David performing a few acoustic songs. Preferably with Katrina banging away on the tambourine. I would also like to salute those of you who had the good sense to make the best of a bad job and have some poptastic fun with fellow listees and The Mouse Ran Up the Clock. You will all be getting a Sinister Scout Badge from Der Honeymeister for Lisa-like Services to the Blind. And believe me, a cancelled B&S concert is better than a not-cancelled Mark Lanegan shindig, if that's any consolation. My major worry at the moment is that Sparkly Orange McRagtag might not get to share a herring or two down by the wellside with our very own Genevieve.....I've been secretly looking forward to it for ages, you know. Yours in trembling anticipation, Peter PS. The WHO carried on when Keith Moon collapsed at the Cow Palace. They invited some dude from the audience to take his place, didn't they Keith? But apparently it was shit. Perhaps B&S should play the Cow Palace and Tanglewood Music Shed. They certainly have a ring to them. +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+