Belle and Sebastian LIVE @ Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin

Just like Dublin is split into two parts by the river Liffey, the working class North Side and the middle class South Side, so it was Grand Canal Theatre for the Belle and Sebastian concert. The band, touring Ireland and UK after their last appearance four years ago, well reflected the mood of both audience and city with a mix of songs from both their Jeepster and Rough Trade era. I was quite surprised to see the grat majority of the crowd singing-along and clapping hands at Stuart Murdoch's & C.'s most recent tunes, leaving me and a few long-time fans only to move our heads to gems like 'Fox in the Snow'. The change in their audience from intimate (=unknown) clubs to posh theatres it's well represented by the change in their music from Dear Catastrophe Waitress on. New songs like 'I want the world to stop' or less recent ones like 'I'm a CUckoo', they work best with big venues, great sound systems, and fancy light effects. Very few of the presents were at the gig for listening to 'Lord Anthony' or the 2004 b-side 'Travellin' Lights'. I now (maybe!) understand why Isobel Campbell decided to leave the band at some stage. The pity is they have great songs such 'The boy with the arab strap' and 'Sleep the clock around', which are well capable of pleasing both audiences. The girl sitting next to me, who danced all night long to their most recent songs, made tried start a conversation at the end of the concert. 'It was a great gig - she said. Yes, it was very nice - I replied, before joining to queue to the exit.

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