26 June 2026, Kelvingrove Bandstand
Belle and Sebastian
You know you’re getting old when bands are touring and celebrating albums that were being played incessantly the first time you thought you were getting old.
And so it was, we headed to a summer night at Kelvingrove Bandstand to witness Belle and Sebastian play the first of their two sold-out shows.
The concerts were both celebrating the 30th anniversaries of their albums, playing Tigermilk in full on Friday night and If You’re Feeling Sinister on Saturday.
We were having the pleasure of listening to Tigermilk played in order in its entirety followed by a second half of well-known tracks with the obligatory encore to finish the performance.
I have to declare that the first time I thought I was getting old, the band more or less passed me by on a different musical journey. Albums came and went. The occasional radio play and TV performance was watched and listened to but without the prod to go out and buy any of said albums.
That earlier perception has changed over the years. Maybe as I get really old, I begin to appreciate what they’ve recorded and achieved to date.
I’ve also seen them play live a few times over recent years and its struck me how good their musicianship is. How appreciative they are of the audiences in front of them and vice versa as the fans reminisce about their own lives from 30 years ago too.
The album itself took on a new life when played live too with a fulsome sound from all nine members on stage. Stuart Murdoch is the type of friendly frontman you’d want to live next too with a bag full of stories to keep you amused, though I’m more drawn on the night to the guitar work of Stevie Jackson and bass playing of Dave McGowan which suggests there are mean rockers just itching to get out.
They might not be the first band I’d rush out to see but I certainly wouldn’t pass up the opportunity again and I’m sure the vast majority of those inside the Bandstand will already be looking forward to the next show. Maybe for some that would have been the next night.
Arrows Meet
I picked up this wee description of the Arrows Meet on the Bandcamp page –
Hard beats, funky grooves and engagingly ambiguous narratives by two artists from Perth Australia via Kuala Lumpur and Glasgow who reference sounds from Berlin and Miami.
A lively duo, augmented by two very young dancer/singers later on in the show, Jim has the hard hat, the drums, funk guitar, keys and programming to contend with while Miss Nashii is on vocals, timpani, keytar and del fuego bass duties.
I might not know much about Jim but in Miss Nashii’s case I’ve seen her perform fairly recently under the guise of Natasha Noramly with FO Machete.
They weren’t on for long but they made the most of their time on stage to suggest that they would be worth following up in the months to come. Electro pop at it’s best.
