Music / indie
Review: Bombay Bicycle Club, SWX
There was a time in 2009 when you couldn’t turn on MTV2 or NME TV without seeing Bombay Bicycle Club shuffling through their first hit ‘Always Like This’. They’ve come a long way since then, having emerged at the tail-end of the infamous ‘landfill indie’ years. When they followed that track with an acoustic album it was the first hint that they were after something more than indie-disco tunes.
Tonight they’re back in Bristol after a four year break from the band, playing tracks from their comeback album Everything Else Has Gone Wrong. SWX is packed front to back for what is nominally an ‘instore’ show (punters had to pre-order the record from Rough Trade to dibs their space).
is needed now More than ever
With no support acts, the four-piece saunter onstage at 9pm sharp and launch into ‘Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing but You)’, an aching tune set to taut guitars and restrained but infectious vocals. It’s a wonderful return that illustrates how masterful their compositions have grown since those early EPs. The response is rapturous; they’re a band that are clearly still well-loved and could sell out a venue twice this size on a standard tour.
After an opening salvo of songs from the upcoming LP (after all, that’s why they’re here), ‘It’s Alright Now’ gains a ripple of recognition from the assembled crowd and shoulders start bopping along. Supplemented by two live members, the quartets musicianship is razor-sharp, spindly guitars flitting over wandering basslines, anchored by Suren de Saram’s inventive drum fills. Liz Lawrence is a stellar addition on backing vocals, unafraid to step forward alongside frontman Jack Steadman to drive her harmonies home.
‘Good Day’, penned by bassist Ed Nash is a slow burner that twists into a hypnotic guitar segue into fan favourite ‘How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep’. When the group went their separate ways in 2016, even selling all of their equipment, it was hard to envisage a comeback at all let alone one so assured as this.
Title track ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’ feels like it was written as a catalyst to that renewal, Steadman’s refrain “I think I’ve found my second wind” acting as a mantra, childhood friends returning to their music while the world around them descends into madness. A parting gift of ‘Always Like This’ is definitely performed more for the fans than the band themselves, but on the cusp of an unlikely renewal Bombay Bicycle Club are in a generous mood.
All images from Phil Watson
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