Belle and Sebastian @ AstorTheatre, Perth (18/03/11)

Tue 22nd Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The Astor Theatre turned into the HQ for Perth’s vintage lovers and loafer wearing association to celebrate Belle and Sebastian’s Write About Love tour. Supporting the gig were the local lasses of Goodnight Tiger. 2011 is going to be a big year for this duo, out of a tiny bar and into the bright lights they proved themselves worthy of sharing the stage with Glasgow’s indie-pop darlings. The pair charmed the full house with their wit and won the crowd over with a variety of sweet and cheeky songs.

The stage went black and the theatre roared with the sound of clapping hands and a hundred feet stamping on the wooden floorboards. Stuart Murdoch stepped out wearing some goggle-like glasses, as fellow vocalist Steve Jackson looked suave in his black suit. Easing into the set with If You’re Feeling Sinister – punters wore out the soles of their shoes and danced along.

The string quartet swung their heads back and forth like swing sets and with a spring in his step, Murdoch bopped around jiving to I Want the World to Stop. Jackson took over with I’m Not Living in the Real World as Murdoch slipped out to get cups of tea for himself and Jackson. “We must drink tea or something bad will happen!” Murdoch said as he took a swig.

Punters sank their teeth into a slow-paced performance of Piazza, New York Catcher as Murdoch floated around the stage, his whispering vocals so soothing to the ear. Someone requested I’m Waking up to Us, and Murdoch replied that it is quite an “evil” song, which he needs to be in the right mood to perform… So Jackson gave him a hand by playfully slapping him in the face. The contrast of spiteful lyrics and upbeat tempo, plus Murdoch’s appropriate mood made it both chuckle and dance worthy.

The lights were on the audience for Dog on Wheels and you could see many faces in the crowd smiling along as they danced. The crowd interaction amped up with Boy With the Arab Strap, when a handful of lucky fans were pulled onto the stage to dance shamelessly with the band – Murdoch rewarded them with plastic medallions as mementos.

And he kept on giving. Heads turned as Murdoch ran through the crowd singing If You Find Yourself Caught in Love. Everyone’s attention was drawn to the centre of the room where Murdoch had managed to balance on top of a chair with the support of a punter’s outstretched hand. With everyone’s attention on the trumpet solo in Judy is a Dick Slap, we were left wanting as the group suddenly left the stage.

Punters turned into a mass of bratty children; screaming, stomping and wailing for a larger dose of quirky Scottish pop. Not everybody got exactly what they wanted though; bodies moved sluggishly to Legal Man, but the evening ended on a high note with The Blues are Still Blue. There was no rush to leave the venue, fans hung around the stage hoping to meet their idols and clusters of people discussed their favourite moments.

Belle and Sebastian made good use of their 2 hour set, and there was no greater way to spend the evening.