There are many bands who are labelled as the best live act in the world depending on who is doing the talking or the typing. Not having seen every single act, I cant say for certain who should take the title, but I reckon British Sea Power must be worth a nomination.
They've been releasing records now for about eight years and the February gig in Glasgow was in support of their fifth studio LP, Valahalla Dancehall, which was released to the usual critical acclaim but relatively low sales at the start of the year.
At the tail end of 2008, I posted this piece lamenting the fact that the Mercury Prize that year had gone to Elbow for Seldom Seen Kid when Do You Like Rock Music? by British Sea Power was also on the short-list. The award has helped catapult Elbow to new and bigger audiences and good luck to them. I just wish however that BSP would get the recognition that is long overdue them.
I don't think it will come this year as I'm not sure that Valhalla Dancefloor will get as many plaudits as Do You Like Rock Music come the end of the year. It hasn't got quite the same oomph (that's a technical term by the way) and anyway, its an unwritten rule that if an obscure indie-act is nominated for the Mercury but doesn't win, then it doesnt get short-listed again.
BSP released what was my favourite single of 2008, and its one that I picked up on vinyl at the time as well as also buying a different 7" single that featured an instrumental version of the song. Three years on and I think its time I shared the tracks and the one of b-sides with you (the other b-side is just too strange........!!!):-
mp3 : British Sea Power - Waving Flags
mp3 : British Sea Power - Ooby Dooby Doo
mp3 : British Sea Power - Waving Flags (Wandering Horn Instrumental)
There's loads of live footage of the band kicking around on You Tube and the likes, but not too much really captures how stunning they are when on stage. But I have to to tip my hat to the person who captured the manic last nine minutes or so of an outdoor gig at London a few years back....having tried to film Edwyn Collins live a few times I appreciate how hard a task it is to keep your camera/phone still while still enjoying the event itself. How this particular fan never went bonkers with the rest of the crowd is beyond me.
Happy Listening and viewing.
6 comments:
Waving Flags has been my song of the moment for the last three years. Great stuff.
Waving Flags was my number one song of 2008, too. I got to do the CP Festive Fifty Intro for it. :)
there was a great article in word magazine a couple of months ago written by their ex manager and brother of 2 of the band about how obsessed their father became and how he became an expert of alternative guitar bands!
Just saw them in Brooklyn on Tuesday and they were fantastic. Songs from Valhalla Dancehall sound amazing live.
Thanks for this! You inspired me to get off my duff and order the Valhalla Dance Hall 2CD Limited Edition from Amazon (prices finally came down for those of us in the States). Keith
It was a toss-up between this and No Lucifer when I wrote about BSP for my Clandestine Classics series. The prompt for writing about them was, of course, seeing them live and they were, as you would expect, excellent.
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