Bombay Bicycle Club review

Drawing the predictable melange of charity shop jumpers and Doc Martens, Bombay Bicycle Club took centre stage at the Great Hall playing a sold out set in the halfway leg of their UK tour.
Swept there on a compelling tide of nostalgia and elated on expectations of £23 tickets, that were needless to say; high.

The band have received heady mainstream success from album number four ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ with singles such as ‘Luna’ gracing the airwaves of the daytime Radio One playlist.

The set was a notch up in professionalism from the 2010 post ‘had the blues’ relative underground status, they’re big boys now. Support act ‘Flyte’ seemed reminiscent of a mediocre Mystery Jets minus the 80s hype, though pleasantly harmonious.

This was soon followed by Rae (‘The Hair’) Morris, a radiant songstress who sat, somewhat subdued, at the keyboard whispering delicate vocals. A poignant affair, songs such as current single ‘Skin’ were beautifully executed.

Bombay were confidently commanding with spirits soon became frenzied by the very presence of the quartet.

The Indie introvert pin-up boy Steadman was brilliant as ever, despite the vivaciousness of early tracks such as ‘How Can You Swallow so Much Sleep?’ and ‘Always Like this’ possibly subtracting from the sincerity of ‘Eyes Off You’ with vocals slightly lapsing.

Use of mesmerising graphics projected onto circular screens were stunningly implemented, the Asian-fusion undertone to tracks such as ‘Feel’ seeing a gang of artsy cobras grace the background to which guitarist Jamie Maccoll exclaimed ‘RELEASE THE SNAKES!’ to much effect.

‘Luna’ also saw a Disclosure- esque mockery of the band’s ‘interative’ online video with rotating silhouettes of Steadman and accomplices.

A ‘Flaws’less performance that secured crowd pleasing old ‘Evening/Morning’, ‘Shuffle’ ‘Light Out, Words Gone’ with an encore of the sublime ‘What If’ and ‘Carry Me’ it was triumphant effort from a band who have certainly secured themselves as seminal figures in the alternative music sphere of the current decade. 8/10

Image credited to Molly Hayden