Sinister: A Century of Belle and Sebastian

[Matthew A. Neimark]

Or a weekend nonetheless.  A weekend of pure bliss as weeks of joyful anticipation become fully realized.  If you've read my posts, you'd know what a huge fan of this band I am, not that that makes me different from anyone else.  At the first show, for example (a taping for the PBS sessions), I thought that I was a huge geek for arriving a full hour before the doors were supposed to open.  But there were already many people waiting in line, a first clue that the band had already eclipsed obscure-indie status.  At the taping, the PBS announcer revealed his admiration of the band telling the audience what a huge "breath of fresh air" the band was.  The set they played, albeit the mishaps (including Stuart M. forgetting the words for Mayfly) was marvelous.  Half the joy, however, was seeing them in person for the first time.  Many of the songs they played were new including Ease Your Feet in The Sea, Is It Wicked, Slow Graffiti, and Lonliness of a Middle Distance Runner.  These songs are AMAZING and I can't wait for the new LP to come out.

The show on Sunday was equally amazing, if in fact not more so.  The show took place at the beautiful Angel Orresanz foundation (which probably looks like Stuart M.'s place of residence).  They started the set with Century of Fakers (which I realized is actually the original song on which Century of Elvis is based).  A highlight of the show was the performance of two Tigermilk era songs Expectations and She's Losing It, both which sent the diehard attendees into a frenzy.  But the rest of the set was also incredible.  The sound at the venue was done very well and the passion of the band shown through.  A potential lowlight was the New York Times photographer who squeezed between myself, Min Liu, and Aden Kummler to obtain the optimal pictures of the band (that will appear in a Tuesday feature).  (We were already crammed packed between walls of people.)  However, even she, who had never heard of the band before that evening, proclaimed how wonderful they were after hearing only two songs.  Towards the end, I was exhausted from so much cheering and handclapping, my feet were sore, and the crowd contorted my posture into many interesting positions only a yogi could possibly master.  Yet my dissapointement at the end of the end of the set was extreme.  Somehow, I wanted it to go on forever, as Belle and Sebastian are a band that always leave you wanting just a bit more....I anticipate their return.

Other noteworthy events of the weekend included sets from Comet Gain and the Pastels.  And the party at Kardhym's house which included Shy Boy, Franklin Bruno, the Orange Peels, and Spare Snare (who I missed) was also wonderful.

I thought it was fantastic to be able to meet up with so many people coming as far away as California and England.  None of the popfests have been able to compare itself to this gathering (which was sadly missing Peter Hahndorf).

The highlight of my weekend was sneaking back into the Sony theatre and showing my fanzine to Sarah Martin, who retrieved Chris Geddes, Stuard D., and Stuart M.  Although I was practically speechless during our brief conversation, I had the impression that they in many ways were ordinary lads placed in this extraordinary situation...  
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