Sinister: my special surprise!

[Thessaly1 at xxx.com]

hi there!

i thought i would include a copy of my review of the show in chicago.  i wrote
this for an local LA music and film newspaper that is written by uni students
and recent alumni.  it has a distribution of over 105,000 readers in the
southern california region.  most of the readers have no idea who belle and
sebastian are.  keep that in mind while reading it! enjoy! :)

Belle And Sebastian at the Metro in Chicago. -Jennifer Hjelm 

I flew to Chicago to catch a glimpse of my favorite band since they were only
touring the East Coast.  After the cancellation of two earlier shows in
Philadelphia and Toronto due to illness, I feared I would miss my chance to
see them live.  Thankfully my prayers were answered and the band miraculously
showed up on stage at the 1,100 capacity venue.

The packed venue proved to be a tight fit for the band and the "cool indie
kid" audience.  I don’t know how the eight members even fit on the tiny stage,
but they flowed gracefully around it between songs. The players kept trading
off instruments proving their prowess on each one.  Stuart Murdoch, the band
visionary, started the set with "Century of Fakers" off an old EP, then moved
to the unreleased "I Know Where The Summer Goes."  This mini-American tour was
more of an introduction to the band than a proper promotional tour.  The set
list spanned their three year career excluding their elusive debut Tigermilk.
Chronicled as one of the best bands of the last few years, Belle and Sebastian
like to keep to themselves.  They rarely tour, conduct only a few interviews,
and don’t do photo shoots. So when I got the chance to see them live, I jumped
on it and flew to the nearest venue, albeit 2000 miles away.  

The crowd was thrilled to see the band and thankful Isobel (the cellist) was
well enough to play.  Every song including the six unreleased ones were well
received, although Murdoch fretted that they played "too many" new songs.
Highlights included "Chickfactor" which is penned and sung by guitarist Stevie
Jackson.  The duet "Lazy Line Painter Jane" proved that the band can actually
rock out if they choose.  Strong guitars, along with Murdoch’s voice raised
above his somber speaking tone, proved the band to be more than an octet Simon
and Garfunkel.  The new song "Slow Graffiti" which is on the soundtrack for
the movie Acid House, was absolutely stunning live.  

Belle and Sebastian are as wonderful as it is to hear the sound of their name
roll off your tongue.  The intricate instrumental details that most bands
leave out are the mainstay of their uniqueness.  I am completely enamored with
this band; their angelic soft spoken songs, perfect melodies and the
unassuming character of the band make you almost believe that they were sent
down from heaven, via Glasgow, Scotland.

Belle and Sebastian will release the four track EP "This Is Just A Modern Rock
Song" on Dec. 7th.  They will be playing the West Coast in the new year.



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