Live review: Belle and Sebastian revisit their 1990s heyday with vibrant show at The Piece Hall in Halifax

For a band so defined by their intimacy and delicacy, Belle and Sebastian certainly know how to have a good time.

Stuart Murdoch and his twee crew came to Halifax on Sunday evening (June 21) for a joyous 30th anniversary celebration of their sophomore album ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’.

The contradictions keep coming.

The Glaswegian group were on top form throughout the show, which started with a run-through of the much-lauded album, followed by an encore of crowd favourites and ending with a throng of people dancing on stage and the endlessly endearing Murdoch gliding across on an e-scooter.

My only previous encounter with the band came at a festival in Lisbon, when their twangy delight made for a perfect mid-afternoon set in the baking sun - and with the weather hitting similar temperatures over the weekend, there was reason to be optimistic upon arriving at the glorious Piece Hall for the second Sunday in a row.

St Etienne made for an inspired tone setter as the clouds hovered, offering a woozy, psyched-out sound entrenched with deep beats that reeked of the British cultural zenith of the 1990s that Belle and Sebastian also inhabited.

Murdoch later praised the London outfit for their “amazing” performance, saying that it was their first gig in three years. Quite the coup.

In suitably conversational style, the first set began with a video played behind the stage of ‘...Sinister’ cover star and close friend of Murdoch’s Ciara MacLaverty, discussing the band’s early days, which included her grannie seeing them perform on the streets of Glasgow and commenting: “I love Stuey boy, but he couldn’t sing his way out of a paper bag.”

MacLaverty ends the clip saying, “but she got that one wrong”, which is on the money; Murdoch stands alongside Robert Smith in being gifted with an instantly recognisable voice that seems to only sound crisper and beguiling with the years.

The band also sound incredibly full when performing the album’s comparatively stripped-back recordings, with opener ‘The Stars of Track and Field’ starting with just Murdoch on guitar and building through stomping drums and a wonderful trumpet solo to mark the group’s arrival.

Murdoch switches to piano for the childlike wonder of ‘Seeing Other People’ before Elvis Costello-resembling guitarist Stevie Jackson’s cathartic harmonica playing is brought front and centre for the compulsive ‘Me and The Major’.

Next is the swooning delight of ‘Like Dylan In The Movies’ before the tender ‘Fox In The Snow’, which is accompanied by captivating cartoon visuals (which are compelling throughout the show) and a spotlight for each of the lilting solos from guitar and strings.

The lighting is also used to great effect on the dreamlike country of the album’s title track, maintaining the record’s deep red as Murdoch rattles through tales of down-and-out faith seekers and flashing green for the jaunting refrain of ‘If you’re feeling sinister, go off and tell a minister’.

Murdoch downplays the song’s potential reading of being anti-faith afterwards, saying: “Everyone’s looking for meaning. But you know the deal. As long as you’re kind to the person next to you, that’s it! That’s the whole ball game.”

The communal message is beheld in the crowd, who express clear delight in singing back every line of his deftly complex lyricism.

After The Smiths-like groove of ‘Mayfly’ the first set ends with a celebratory ‘Judy and the Dream of Horses’ and, naturally, Murdoch singing with a horse mask on, before a credits sequence thanking those who helped throughout their career.

With its range of emotions, effective track listing and distinct voice, ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’ makes for a great album to perform live and has the crowd fully engaged ahead of the five-song encore, which only further expands on the band’s appeal.

The playful ‘Step Into My Office, Baby’ only gets people moving more, and it’s all systems go by the time the irresistible ‘The Boy With The Arab Strap’ cues the aforementioned stage invasion and e-scooter efforts.

“Piece Hall, this has been a gas, gas, gas”, says Murdoch as the band wraps things up.

The feeling was definitely mutual for many in attendance.