Belle and Sebastian - 'The Boy With The Arab Strap' 25th Anniversary Blue LP
Stream / Pre-order Blue LP HERE
Belle and Sebastian’s beloved third album ‘The Boy With The Arab Strap’ returns on limited blue vinyl and blue tint cover this autumn to celebrate its 25th anniversary, available to pre-order now via the Matador Webstore in the United States / Canada and Jeepster Records in the rest of world.
The announcement comes on the heels of a recent creative outpouring from the Scottish group: ‘A Bit of Previous’ (2022) and ‘Late Developers’ (2023) and a return to touring with three weeks of summer shows in the United Kingdom underway.
Belle and Sebastian on Tour
Wednesday, July 12 O2 Academy, Sheffield UK
Thursday, July 13 O2 Academy, Oxford UK
Friday, July 14 O2 Institute, Birmingham UK
Saturday, July 15 Great Hall, Cardiff UK
Monday, July 17 Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, July 18 Roundhouse, London UK
Wednesday, July 19 Brighton Dome, Brighton UK
Friday, July 21 Academy, Manchester UK
Saturday, July 22 Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Saturday, August 26 Victorious Festival, Portsmouth UK
Friday, September 1 Meo Kalorama, Lisboa PT
Saturday, September 2 Cala Mijas, Málaga ES
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Belle and Sebastian - Amazon Original
Stream "Give A Little Time" and "So In The Moment."
Stream / Purchase 'Late Developers'
Stream / Purchase 'A Bit of Previous'
Belle and Sebastian have premiered the second installment of their Amazon Original sessions: live performances of two tracks from their brand new album 'Late Developers,' "Give A Little Time" and "So In The Moment."
Belle and Sebastian on Tour :
Tuesday, April 25 Metropolitan Theatre, Mexico City MX
Friday, April 28 Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee WI
Saturday, April 29 Majestic Theatre, Detroit MI
Sunday, April 30 The Athenaeum Theatre, Columbus OH
Tuesday, May 2 History, Toronto ON
Wednesday, May 3 Bronson Centre, Ottawa ON
Thursday, May 4 Higher Ground, Burlington VT
Friday, May 5 The State Theatre, Ithaca NY
Saturday, May 6 College Street Music Hall, New Haven CT
Monday, May 8 Basilica Hudson, Hudson NY
Tuesday, May 9 White Eagle Hall, Jersey City NJ
Wednesday, May 10 The National, Richmond VA
Friday, May 12 The Eastern, Atlanta GA
Saturday, May 13 St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine FL
Sunday, May 14 Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale FL
Monday, May 15 Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg FL
Wednesday, May 17 Saturn, Birmingham AL
Thursday, May 18 The Pageant, St. Louis MO
Friday, May 19 Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo MI
Sunday 2 July: 3Olympia, Dublin
Monday 3 July: Limelight1, Belfast
Wednesday 5 July: Newcastle, O2 City Hall
Thursday 6 July: Hull, University Union Asylum
Saturday 8 July: Liverpool, Olympia
Sunday 9 July: Edinburgh, Usher Hall
Monday 10 July: Aberdeen, Beach Ballroom
Wednesday 12 July: Sheffield, O2 Academy
Thursday 13 July: Oxford, O2 Academy
Friday 14 July: Birmingham, O2 Institute
Saturday 15 July: Cardiff, Great Hall
Monday 17 July: London, Roundhouse
Tuesday 18 July: London, Roundhouse
Wednesday 19 July: Brighton Dome
Friday 21 July: Manchester Academy
Saturday 22 July: Cambridge, Corn Exchange
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Out Today : Belle and Sebastian - 'Late Developers'
(photo : Anna Isola Crolla)
stream / purchase 'Late Developers'
Four days following its announcement, Belle and Sebastian today release new album Late Developers. Listen/purchase HERE. Single “I Don’t Know What You See In Me” (“a chorus so smilingly catchy it sounds like they could be thinking of following John Lydon to the Eurovision song contest” – Evening Standard) had its radio debut on Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, and the track “When We Were Very Young” is currently on the BBC 6 Music A-List.
The band will be hosting an album listening party on YouTube at 1pm GMT today, with members taking part in the live chat
Watch the video for “I Don’t Know What You See In Me” HERE.
'Late Developers' has already been described as, “full of unexpected moments that bring out their best" (Uncut).
Arriving almost back-to-back to 2022’s Top Ten album ‘A Bit of Previous’, ‘Late Developers’ comes on like its predecessor’s sun-kissed cousin. It is a full-hearted embrace of the band's brightest tendencies that is not only fresh and immediate but possessing of that Belle and Sebastian je ne sais quoi of a group that will always be there for you with the perfect word or melody for the moment, while admitting tunefully that “Every girl and boy / each one is a misery” (“When The Cynics Stare Back From The Wall”).
orange vinyl edition available at the Matador webstore, Belle and Sebastian webstore, Bandcamp and Independent record stores.
Belle and Sebastian on Tour :
Tuesday, April 25 Metropolitan Theatre, Mexico City MX
Friday, April 28 Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee WI
Saturday, April 29 Majestic Theatre, Detroit MI
Sunday, April 30 The Athenaeum Theatre, Columbus OH
Tuesday, May 2 History, Toronto ON
Wednesday, May 3 Bronson Centre, Ottawa ON
Thursday, May 4 Higher Ground, Burlington VT
Friday, May 5 The State Theatre, Ithaca NY
Saturday, May 6 College Street Music Hall, New Haven CT
Monday, May 8 Basilica Hudson, Hudson NY
Tuesday, May 9 White Eagle Hall, Jersey City NJ
Wednesday, May 10 The National, Richmond VA
Friday, May 12 The Eastern, Atlanta GA
Saturday, May 13 St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine FL
Sunday, May 14 Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale FL
Monday, May 15 Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg FL
Wednesday, May 17 Saturn, Birmingham AL
Thursday, May 18 The Pageant, St. Louis MO
Friday, May 19 Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo MI
Sunday 2 July: 3Olympia, Dublin
Monday 3 July: Limelight1, Belfast
Wednesday 5 July: Newcastle, O2 City Hall
Thursday 6 July: Hull, University Union Asylum
Saturday 8 July: Liverpool, Olympia
Sunday 9 July: Edinburgh, Usher Hall
Monday 10 July: Aberdeen, Beach Ballroom
Wednesday 12 July: Sheffield, O2 Academy
Thursday 13 July: Oxford, O2 Academy
Friday 14 July: Birmingham, O2 Institute
Saturday 15 July: Cardiff, Great Hall
Monday 17 July: London, Roundhouse
Tuesday 18 July: London, Roundhouse
Wednesday 19 July: Brighton Dome
Friday 21 July: Manchester Academy
Saturday 22 July: Cambridge, Corn Exchange
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Coming January 13 - Belle and Sebastian - 'Late Developers'
Belle and Sebastian hit the ground running in 2023 with the new album 'Late Developers',released this Friday, January 13th . The first single "I Don’t Know What You See In Me" can be heard now. One of the band’s most unabashedly infectious pop offerings to date, it is also their first co-write, featuring young pop composer Wuh Oh (Peter Ferguson).
Says frontman Stuart Murdoch: "I was bicycling across Scotland last summer, listening to a mix of this song. It was written and produced for us by our friend Pete ‘Wuh Oh’ Ferguson. As I listened to it, I felt lucky to be the first person to get to sing this song. I let my voice swoop and soar in ways that it maybe hasn’t before. And as I continued through fields of gold and green I allowed myself to forget it was Belle And Sebastian,
and pretend it was the latest hit on some random radio station. All music is escape, and perhaps we managed to escape a little further than usual with this unexpected tune.Thanks Pete!"
Arriving almost back-to-back to 2022’s Top Ten album ‘A Bit of Previous’, ‘Late Developers’ comes on like its predecessor’s sun-kissed cousin. It is a full-hearted embrace of the band's brightest tendencies that is not only fresh and immediate but possessing of that Belle and Sebastian je ne sais quoi of a group that will always be there for you with the perfect word or melody for the moment, while admitting tunefully that “Every girl and boy / each one is a misery” (“When The Cynics Stare Back From
The Wall”). “Juliet Naked” channels frantic Billy Bragg-energy with rugged electric guitar and a football stadium worthy chant from Stuart Murdoch. The aforementioned “When The Cynics Stare Back From The Wall” is an unearthed 1994-era pre-Belle and Sebastian gem, with help from Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell. " So In The Moment” is
breathless psychedelic pop that is arguably one of Stevie Jackson’s best ever songs. “When We Were Very Young” is Smiths-esque jangle rock that is bittersweet, devotional and yearning: “I wish I could be content / With the football scores / I wish I could be content with my daily chores / With my daily worship of the sublime”.
(photograph : Anna Isola Crolla)
presave / preorder 'Late Developers'
stream / download "I Don't Know What You See In Me"
"I Don't Know What You See In Me" - video
‘Late Developers’ Track List
- Juliet Naked
- Give A Little Time
- When We Were Very Young
- Will I Tell You A Secret
- So In The Moment
- The Evening Star
- When You’re Not With Me
- I Don’t Know What You See In Me
- Do You Follow
- When The Cynics Stare Back From The Wall
- Late Developers
Do you love Belle and Sebastian?
When you look at the cover of one of their records do you instantly get transported to a much-improved state of mind?
Have you found yourself in a dimly lit bar screaming at the top of your lungs over the DJ that YES, “STARS OF TRACK AND FIELD” IS AN ALL-TIME ALBUM OPENER BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT “I DIDN’T SEE IT COMING” MIGHT BE EVEN BETTER???? to your friends who don’t know why the fuck you’re getting so worked up about Belle and Sebastian right now, man?
Do you get a little spring in your step every time you picture them playing the title track from The Boy With The Arab Strap to a room packed like a sardine tin with smiling faces and dancing bodies?
Did you also first fall in love with Belle and Sebastian in 2015 wandering around Belfast in the freezing rain listening to If You’re Feeling Sinister on repeat, only removing your hand from the warmth of your pocket to bring the second track back because the lyric “If I remain passive and you just want to cuddle then we should be okay and we won’t get in a muddle” is killing you and you can’t understand how you haven’t been listening to this band your entire life? No, but something like that maybe?
If you love Belle and Sebastian, 2022’s A Bit of Previous was a surprise gift that felt earned in the midst of some tough-ass times. Belle and Sebastian have already given us a bounty of classic records, so with the previous half-decade’s output – scattered EP’s, soundtracks, and a live record that doubles as a greatest hits collection – you would be forgiven for assuming there was nothing left in the tank and it was time to fire up the tour bus for some album anniversary shows. But you’d be wrong. Turns out the band spent the bleakest parts of peak pandemic times with each other, harnessing the magnitude of an unthinkable situation and the solitude of rides on an empty train car to distant areas of a beautiful snow-covered city. They transmogrified that energy into beams of joy, heartbreak, truth, hope, spirituality, loss and love shining through every moment. It was as if we had been wandering through a cold, dark, seemingly infinite forest until out of nowhere Belle and Sebastian appeared, waiting in the doorway of a warm and familiar space. A space that was previously designated for rehearsal and mail-order, but is currently wallpapered with A4 paper bearing potential song titles. As bass and kick drum patterns pump through the wall, the band invites you in from the cold – not to lie and tell you everything is going to be okay, but to let you know that you are not alone.
SO HOW LUCKY ARE WE THAT THEY WERE MAKING TWO RECORDS ALL ALONG?!
Recorded in the same sessions as A Bit of Previous, Late Developers doesn’t feel like a collection of lesser-than songs that weren’t good enough to go on the “real” record (I’m looking at you, System of a Down’s Hypnotize!). Rather, it’s an embrace of the freedom that comes with a jumbo-sized canvas, skilled students left unsupervised to paint whatever picture they feel like.
While I shudder to do the thing in a bio where I try to describe music to you with words, Late Developers takes you on a journey as the band floats through genres with ease – from the frantic Billy Bragg-with-hella-flute-energy of the opening track, “Juliet Naked,” and what I think might be Stevie Jackson’s best song (“So in the Moment”), into a legit all-out radio-ready dance party in the third quarter of the record (“When You’re Not With Me,” “Do You Follow”) which includes a Belle & Sebastian first, a co-write with young pop composer Pete Ferguson (“I Don’t Know What You See in Me”). They then unearth a 1994-era pre-Belle and Sebastian tune, “When the Cynics Stare Back From the Wall” with the help of Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell right before they bring you home at the end with a true fuckin' bop (“Late Developers”).
This sunny musical disposition is regularly confronted by the reality that sometimes life and love do not feel good. Major chords on a harpsichord and plucked guitar breeze by as Stuart Murdoch and Sarah Martin lament in harmony, “the world is killing me / I’m out to sea” (“Will I Tell You a Secret”). Belle and Sebastian have always had a knack for juxtaposing the music and lyrics to express the chaotic washing machine of emotion that accompanies being alive. And there’s an effortlessness to Late Developers that reminds you that you are listening to the experts on this. Shit, on “Evening Star” Stuart casually shows off his two-plus-octave vocal range within the first stanza as if it’s nothing. Keep in mind though, no one is flexing and there’s no pretentiousness here. It always feels like friends in a room together communicating through music and enthusiastically encouraging each other to explore every possible path with fervor and love.
It is beyond remarkable and inspiring that a band 600 years or so into their career can make music that not only feels immediate and effective, but two back-to-back albums that feel like Belle and Sebastian are at the top of their game and will always be there for you, while admitting tunefully that yes, “Every girl and boy, each one is a misery.” But it’s not like their goal is to drag you down into the doldrums of despair. They schemed away in the darkness to create something to be brought into the light. Late Developers makes a convincing argument that Belle and Sebastian will eternally be coaxing you towards inner peace with the perfect word for the moment or a melody that lifts you out of the murk of all that terrifying truth and into a world where you can allow yourself to look at the sun, take a deep breath and exist within that truth, living happy in the best way you can.
- Jeff Rosenstock
orange vinyl edition available at the Matador webstore, Belle and Sebastian webstore, Bandcamp and Independent record stores.
Belle and Sebastian on Tour :
Tuesday, April 25 Metropolitan Theatre, Mexico City MX
Friday, April 28 Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee WI
Saturday, April 29 Majestic Theatre, Detroit MI
Sunday, April 30 The Athenaeum Theatre, Columbus OH
Tuesday, May 2 History, Toronto ON
Wednesday, May 3 Bronson Centre, Ottawa ON
Thursday, May 4 Higher Ground, Burlington VT
Friday, May 5 The State Theatre, Ithaca NY
Saturday, May 6 College Street Music Hall, New Haven CT
Monday, May 8 Basilica Hudson, Hudson NY
Tuesday, May 9 White Eagle Hall, Jersey City NJ
Wednesday, May 10 The National, Richmond VA
Friday, May 12 The Eastern, Atlanta GA
Saturday, May 13 St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine FL
Sunday, May 14 Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale FL
Monday, May 15 Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg FL
Wednesday, May 17 Saturn, Birmingham AL
Thursday, May 18 The Pageant, St. Louis MO
Friday, May 19 Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo MI
Sunday 2 July: 3Olympia, Dublin
Monday 3 July: Limelight1, Belfast
Wednesday 5 July: Newcastle, O2 City Hall
Thursday 6 July: Hull, University Union Asylum
Saturday 8 July: Liverpool, Olympia
Sunday 9 July: Edinburgh, Usher Hall
Monday 10 July: Aberdeen, Beach Ballroom
Wednesday 12 July: Sheffield, O2 Academy
Thursday 13 July: Oxford, O2 Academy
Friday 14 July: Birmingham, O2 Institute
Saturday 15 July: Cardiff, Great Hall
Monday 17 July: London, Roundhouse
Tuesday 18 July: London, Roundhouse
Wednesday 19 July: Brighton Dome
Friday 21 July: Manchester Academy
Saturday 22 July: Cambridge, Corn Exchange
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Belle and Sebastian - 2023 North American Tour
(photo : Anna Isola Crolla)
This Spring, Belle and Sebastian will return to North America for a fresh round of shows, including stops in Detroit, Toronto, Atlanta, and beyond.
The band’s 9th album, ‘A Bit of Previous,’ was released in May and reached #8 on the UK album chart. The record was recorded in the band’s hometown of Glasgow after plans to fly to Los Angeles were scrapped due to the pandemic. Stuart Murdoch writes in the liner notes: “we did it together, us and the city. This record was the first ‘full’ LP recording for B&S in Glasgow since ‘Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant’ in 1999. We clocked in every morning, we played our songs, we wrote together, we tried new things, we took the proverbial lump of clay, and we threw it every day.”
The result is one the most diverse and thrilling entries in the band’s catalogue, self-produced and recorded (with contributions from Brian McNeill, Matt Wiggins, Kevin Burleigh and Shawn Everett). It’s the sound of a group nearing their third collective decade with grace, irreverence, musical bravado and emerging as an endless source of energy and reinvention.
stream /purchase 'A Bit Of Previous'
Tickets for shows in the United States and Canada go on sale at 10am local time, Friday October 21
Belle and Sebastian on Tour, New Dates in Bold
Sunday, November 13 Great Hall – Student’s Union, Cardiff UK
Monday, November 14 The Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, November 15 The Roundhouse, London UK
Thursday, November 17 O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield UK
Friday, November 18 Olympia, Liverpool UK
Saturday, November 19 Hull University Union Asylum, Hull UK
Monday, November 21 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen UK
Wednesday, November 23 Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
Thursday, November 24 O2 City Hall, Newcastle UK
Friday, November 25 Manchester Academy, Manchester UK
Sunday, November 27 Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Monday, November 28 O2 Academy, Birmingham UK
Tuesday, November 29 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton UK
Wednesday, November 30 Brighton Dome, Brighton UK
Sunday, January 8 Le Mem, Rennes FR
Tuesday, January 10 Casino de Paris, Paris FR
Wednesday, January 11 Tivoli Grote Zaal, Utrecht NE
Friday, January 13 den Atelier, Luxembourg City LU
Saturday, January 14 Laeiszhalle, Hamburg DE
Monday, January 16 Tradgarn, Gothenburg SE
Tuesday, January 17 Filadelfia, Stockholm SE
Wednesday, January 18 Sentrum Scene, Oslo NO
Thursday, January 19 Vega, Copenhagen DK
Saturday, January 21 Tempodrom, Berlin DE
Sunday, January 22 Muffathalle, Munich DE
Monday, January 23 X-tra Limmathaus, Zurich CH
Wednesday, January 25 Co-op de Mai, Clermont-Ferrand FR
Thursday, January 26 Fabrique, Milan IT
Monday, April 24 Teatro Diana, Guadalajara MX
Tuesday, April 25 Metropolitan Theatre, Mexico City MX
Friday, April 28 Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee WI
Saturday, April 29 Majestic Theatre, Detroit MI
Sunday, April 30 The Athenaeum Theatre, Columbus OH
Tuesday, May 2 History, Toronto ON
Wednesday, May 3 Bronson Centre, Ottawa ON
Thursday, May 4 Higher Ground, Burlington VT
Friday, May 5 The State Theatre, Ithaca NY
Saturday, May 6 College Street Music Hall, New Haven CT
Monday, May 8 Basilica Hudson, Hudson NY
Tuesday, May 9 White Eagle Hall, Jersey City NJ
Wednesday, May 10 The National, Richmond VA
Friday, May 12 The Eastern, Atlanta GA
Saturday, May 13 St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine FL
Sunday, May 14 Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale FL
Monday, May 15 Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg FL
Wednesday, May 17 Saturn, Birmingham AL
Thursday, May 18 The Pageant, St. Louis MO
Friday, May 19 Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo MI
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Belle and Sebastian - Tiny Desk Concert
Earlier today, NPR Music premiered Belle and Sebastian's Tiny Desk Concert, record during the band's most recent North American tour. The group's global touring continues today at Bruges' Cactus Festival (dates below)
stream/purchase the album 'A Bit Of Previous'
Belle and Sebastian on tour :
Friday, July 8 Cactus Festival, Bruges BE
Friday, July 15 Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol UK
Saturday, July 16 Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival, Stirling UK
Sunday, November 13 Great Hall - Student’s Union, Cardiff UK
Monday, November 14 The Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, November 15 The Roundhouse, London UK
Thursday, November 17 O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield UK
Friday, November 18 Olympia, Liverpool UK
Saturday, November 19 Hull University Union Asylum, Hull UK
Monday, November 21 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen UK
Wednesday, November 23 Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
Thursday, November 24 O2 City Hall, Newcastle UK
Friday, November 25 Manchester Academy, Manchester UK
Sunday, November 27 Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Monday, November 28 O2 Academy, Birmingham UK
Tuesday, November 29 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton UK
Wednesday, November 30 Brighton Dome, Brighton UK
Sunday, January 8 Le Mem, Rennes FR
Tuesday, January 10 Casino de Paris, Paris FR
Wednesday, January 11 Tivoli Grote Zaal, Utrecht NE
Friday, January 13 den Atelier, Luxembourg City LU
Saturday, January 14 Laeiszhalle, Hamburg DE
Monday, January 16 Tradgarn, Gothenburg SE
Tuesday, January 17 Filadelfia, Stockholm SE
Wednesday, January 18 Sentrum Scene, Oslo NO
Thursday, January 19 Vega, Copenhagen DK
Saturday, January 21 Tempodrom, Berlin DE
Sunday, January 22 Muffathalle, Munich DE
Monday, January 23 X-tra Limmathaus, Zurich CH
Wednesday, January 25 Co-op de Mai, Clermont-Ferrand FR
Thursday, January 26 Fabrique, Milan IT
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Belle and Sebastian - "Working Boy In New York City" b/w "We Rule The School" (Amazon Originals)
Belle and Sebastian have released live renditions of two tracks for Amazon Original: "Working Boy in New York City", taken from the group’s latest album 'A Bit of Previous' and "We Rule the School", previously heard on the band’s 1996 debut album 'Tigermilk', this time with vocals performed by rising Scottish pop pioneer Wuh Oh. Between them, the songs span 26 years in the seminal collective’s lustrous history.
stream : "Working Boy In New York City" b/w "We Rule The School"
stream/purchase the album 'A Bit Of Previous'
Belle and Sebastian on tour :
Friday, July 8 Cactus Festival, Bruges BE
Friday, July 15 Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol UK
Saturday, July 16 Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival, Stirling UK
Sunday, November 13 Great Hall - Student’s Union, Cardiff UK
Monday, November 14 The Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, November 15 The Roundhouse, London UK
Thursday, November 17 O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield UK
Friday, November 18 Olympia, Liverpool UK
Saturday, November 19 Hull University Union Asylum, Hull UK
Monday, November 21 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen UK
Wednesday, November 23 Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
Thursday, November 24 O2 City Hall, Newcastle UK
Friday, November 25 Manchester Academy, Manchester UK
Sunday, November 27 Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Monday, November 28 O2 Academy, Birmingham UK
Tuesday, November 29 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton UK
Wednesday, November 30 Brighton Dome, Brighton UK
Sunday, January 8 Le Mem, Rennes FR
Tuesday, January 10 Casino de Paris, Paris FR
Wednesday, January 11 Tivoli Grote Zaal, Utrecht NE
Friday, January 13 den Atelier, Luxembourg City LU
Saturday, January 14 Laeiszhalle, Hamburg DE
Monday, January 16 Tradgarn, Gothenburg SE
Tuesday, January 17 Filadelfia, Stockholm SE
Wednesday, January 18 Sentrum Scene, Oslo NO
Thursday, January 19 Vega, Copenhagen DK
Saturday, January 21 Tempodrom, Berlin DE
Sunday, January 22 Muffathalle, Munich DE
Monday, January 23 X-tra Limmathaus, Zurich CH
Wednesday, January 25 Co-op de Mai, Clermont-Ferrand FR
Thursday, January 26 Fabrique, Milan IT
+ with Thee Sacred Souls
# with Los Bitchos
^ with Japanese Breakfast and Los Bitchos
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Belle and Sebastian - KEXP Session
(photo by Amber Knecht)
Belle and Sebastian's May 31 session for KEXP is now available to view in full (above). After a triumphant North American tour, the band return to the road July 8 at Bruges' Cactus Festival (full schedule can be found below.
stream / purchase the album 'A Bit Of Previous'
stream / download the single "A Bit Of Previous"
Belle and Sebastian on tour :
(tickets)
Friday, July 8 Cactus Festival, Bruges BE
Friday, July 15 Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol UK
Saturday, July 16 Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival, Stirling UK
Sunday, November 13 Great Hall - Student’s Union, Cardiff UK
Monday, November 14 The Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, November 15 The Roundhouse, London UK
Thursday, November 17 O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield UK
Friday, November 18 Olympia, Liverpool UK
Saturday, November 19 Hull University Union Asylum, Hull UK
Monday, November 21 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen UK
Wednesday, November 23 Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
Thursday, November 24 O2 City Hall, Newcastle UK
Friday, November 25 Manchester Academy, Manchester UK
Sunday, November 27 Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Monday, November 28 O2 Academy, Birmingham UK
Tuesday, November 29 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton UK
Wednesday, November 30 Brighton Dome, Brighton UK
Sunday, January 8 Le Mem, Rennes FR
Tuesday, January 10 Casino de Paris, Paris FR
Wednesday, January 11 Tivoli Grote Zaal, Utrecht NE
Friday, January 13 den Atelier, Luxembourg City LU
Saturday, January 14 Laeiszhalle, Hamburg DE
Monday, January 16 Tradgarn, Gothenburg SE
Tuesday, January 17 Filadelfia, Stockholm SE
Wednesday, January 18 Sentrum Scene, Oslo NO
Thursday, January 19 Vega, Copenhagen DK
Saturday, January 21 Tempodrom, Berlin DE
Sunday, January 22 Muffathalle, Munich DE
Monday, January 23 X-tra Limmathaus, Zurich CH
Wednesday, January 25 Co-op de Mai, Clermont-Ferrand FR
Thursday, January 26 Fabrique, Milan IT
+ with Thee Sacred Souls
# with Los Bitchos
^ with Japanese Breakfast and Los Bitchos
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
New From Belle and Sebastian - "A Bit of Previous"
"A Bit Of Previous", directed by Graham Samuels
(photo : Marisa Privitera)
It's not common practice to have an album's title track released after said album as a standalone single, but Belle and Sebastian aren't sticklers for ceremony. Today, the band release new single and video “A Bit of Previous,” which shares the title of their critically acclaimed 9th full-length released in May.
Explained alternately as an allusion to the concept of reincarnation in Buddhism and a passing reference to a past romantic relationship by a band member's father – in either instance, “A Bit of Previous” touches on how the past can give fresh perspective to our present via dark and jangly upbeat pop that is melancholy as it is purposeful and is another piece in the rich tapestry of Belle and Sebastian’s latest era.
The hand drawn video was directed and illustrated by long time band collaborator Graham Samuels and Henrik Appel, following a concept by frontman Stuart Murdoch. “The song touched on the themes of karma and reincarnation,” says Murdoch. “In the clip a woman journeys through her life ‘seeing’ people’s karma. She sees what they are and what they will become. She sees people who are doing well, who are gods in this life. ‘Just because you’ve got the highground / Doesn’t mean you have the most fun’. She imagines them transform into different life forms, even into walking ghosts. Conversely, she sees some who are destitute and alone. She sees them transforming into enlightened people. Finally, she imagines her own future, shrouded in cloud and mystery.”
stream / download the single : "A Bit Of Previous"
stream/purchase the album 'A Bit Of Previous'
Belle and Sebastian on tour :
Wednesday, June 8 The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe NM+
Friday, June 10 Beer City Music Hal, Oklahoma City OK+
Saturday, June 11 Stubb’s Waller Creek, Austin TX#
Monday, June 13 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville TN#
Tuesday, June 14 The Ritz, Raleigh NC^
Wednesday, June 15 Wolf Trap, Vienna VA^
Thursday, June 16 Central Park Summerstage, New York NY#
Friday, June 17 Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia PA#
Saturday, June 18 Roadrunner, Boston MA#
Friday, July 8 Cactus Festival, Bruges BE
Friday, July 15 Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol UK
Saturday, July 16 Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival, Stirling UK
Sunday, November 13 Great Hall - Student’s Union, Cardiff UK
Monday, November 14 The Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, November 15 The Roundhouse, London UK
Thursday, November 17 O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield UK
Friday, November 18 Olympia, Liverpool UK
Saturday, November 19 Hull University Union Asylum, Hull UK
Monday, November 21 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen UK
Wednesday, November 23 Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
Thursday, November 24 O2 City Hall, Newcastle UK
Friday, November 25 Manchester Academy, Manchester UK
Sunday, November 27 Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Monday, November 28 O2 Academy, Birmingham UK
Tuesday, November 29 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton UK
Wednesday, November 30 Brighton Dome, Brighton UK
Sunday, January 8 Le Mem, Rennes FR
Tuesday, January 10 Casino de Paris, Paris FR
Wednesday, January 11 Tivoli Grote Zaal, Utrecht NE
Friday, January 13 den Atelier, Luxembourg City LU
Saturday, January 14 Laeiszhalle, Hamburg DE
Monday, January 16 Tradgarn, Gothenburg SE
Tuesday, January 17 Filadelfia, Stockholm SE
Wednesday, January 18 Sentrum Scene, Oslo NO
Thursday, January 19 Vega, Copenhagen DK
Saturday, January 21 Tempodrom, Berlin DE
Sunday, January 22 Muffathalle, Munich DE
Monday, January 23 X-tra Limmathaus, Zurich CH
Wednesday, January 25 Co-op de Mai, Clermont-Ferrand FR
Thursday, January 26 Fabrique, Milan IT
+ with Thee Sacred Souls
# with Los Bitchos
^ with Japanese Breakfast and Los Bitchos
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Out Today : Belle and Sebastian - 'A Bit Of Previous'
"Talk To Me, Talk To Me" - directed by Freya and Rosalie Salkeld
(photo : Hollie Fernando)
Belle and Sebastian today release their 9th studio album, 'A Bit Of Previous'. Marking the occasion comes new video and single ‘Talk To Me To Me’. The video was written and directed by 15-year-old south London siblings Freya and Rosalie Salkeld.
(stream/purchase 'A Bit Of Previous')
Stuart Murdoch:
“We had a small budget to make the video and were going to make it ourselves, but we ran out of time. So we put out an open call to filmmakers who would be interested in making something for the existing budget, requesting an image encapsulating their idea and a 100-word pitch. The directors’ mother got in touch saying her daughters are fans of the group and keen filmmakers, and they sent in a treatment that we loved. They co-wrote and co-directed it, and got a bunch of their friends involved, and made a fresh and funny take on the song”
Directors Freya and Rosalie:
"When we found out we were going to make Belle and Sebastian’s new music video we were beyond excited. Our idea had come from photos we’d taken of our friends for art projects. Casting mates we’d recently seen in a school drama production was really fun - filming them was even better! The process as a whole was an amazing challenge and we’re so grateful for the opportunity!"
'A Bit Of Previous' is available in four different artwork covers across LP, CD and digital. The independent retail version of the LP includes a bonus 7" with standalone track "A Bit Of Previous".
'A Bit of Previous' Tracklist
01. Young And Stupid
02. If They're Shooting At You
03. Talk To Me, Talk To Me
04. Reclaim The Night
05. Do It For Your Country
06. Prophets On Hold
07. Unnecessary Drama
08. Come On Home
09. A World Without You
10. Deathbed Of My Dreams
11. Sea Of Sorrow
12. Working Boy In New York City
Belle and Sebastian at Bandcamp.
Belle and Sebastian on Tour
Tuesday, May 24 Rabbit Rabbit, Asheville NC*
Wednesday, May 25 TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, Indianapolis IN*
Thursday, May 26 The Riviera Theatre, Chicago IL*
Friday, May 27 Palace Theater, Minneapolis MN*
Saturday, May 28 The Admiral, Omaha NE*
Tuesday, May 31 Paramount Theatre, Seattle WA+
Wednesday, June 1 Roseland Theater, Portland OR+
Friday, June 3 Greek Theatre, Berkeley CA%
Saturday, June 4 Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA%
Sunday, June 5 Pappy and Harriet’s, Pioneertown CA+
Tuesday, June 7 The Van Buren, Phoenix AZ+
Wednesday, June 8 The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe NM+
Friday, June 10 The Criterion, Oklahoma City OK+
Saturday, June 11 Stubb’s Waller Creek, Austin TX#
Monday, June 13 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville TN#
Tuesday, June 14 Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh NC^
Wednesday, June 15 Wolf Trap, Vienna VA^
Thursday, June 16 Central Park Summerstage, New York NY#
Friday, June 17 Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia PA#
Saturday, June 18 Roadrunner, Boston MA#
Friday, July 15 Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol UK
Saturday, July 16 Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival, Stirling UK
Sunday, November 13 Great Hall - Student’s Union, Cardiff UK
Monday, November 14 The Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, November 15 The Roundhouse, London UK
Thursday, November 17 O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield UK
Friday, November 18 Olympia, Liverpool UK
Saturday, November 19 Hull University Union Asylum, Hull UK
Monday, November 21 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen UK
Wednesday, November 23 Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
Thursday, November 24 O2 City Hall, Newcastle UK
Friday, November 25 Manchester Academy, Manchester UK
Sunday, November 27 Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Monday, November 28 O2 Academy, Birmingham UK
Tuesday, November 29 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton UK
Wednesday, November 30 Brighton Dome, Brighton UK
Tuesday, January 10 Casino de Paris, Paris FR
Wednesday, January 11 Tivoli Grote Zaal, Utrecht NE
Friday, January 13 den Atelier, Luxembourg City LU
Saturday, January 14 Laeiszhalle, Hamburg DE
Monday, January 16 Tradgarn, Gothenburg SE
Tuesday, January 17 Filadelfia, Stockholm SE
Wednesday, January 18 Sentrum Scene, Oslo NO
Thursday, January 19 Vega, Copenhagen DK
Saturday, January 21 Tempodrom, Berlin DE
Sunday, January 22 Muffathalle, Munich DE
Monday, January 23 X-tra Limmathaus, Zurich CH
Wednesday, January 25 Co-op de Mai, Clermont-Ferrand FR
Thursday, January 26 Fabrique, Milan IT
* with Divino Niño
+ with Thee Sacred Souls
% with Tennis and Thee Sacred Souls
# with Los Bitchos
+ with Japanese Breakfast and Los Bitchos
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Belle and Sebastian - "Young and Stupid"
"Young and Stupid"
(Photos compiled by Fiona Morrison, video edited by Sabrina Nichols)
(photo : Hollie Fernando)
stream / download "Young and Stupid"
presave / preorder 'A Bit Of Previous'
Belle and Sebastian have released a new single, “Young and Stupid”, taken from their forthcoming new album 'A Bit Of Previous', out May 6th. The song is accompanied by a lyric video which gets unfettered access into the band members respective family photo albums.
Belle and Sebastian on Tour, New Dates in Bold On Sale Friday 10am Local Time
Tuesday, May 24 Rabbit Rabbit, Asheville NC*
Wednesday, May 25 TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, Indianapolis IN*
Thursday, May 26 The Riviera Theatre, Chicago IL*
Friday, May 27 Palace Theater, Minneapolis MN*
Saturday, May 28 The Admiral, Omaha NE*
Tuesday, May 31 Paramount Theatre, Seattle WA+
Wednesday, June 1 Roseland Theater, Portland OR+
Friday, June 3 Greek Theatre, Berkeley CA%
Saturday, June 4 Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA%
Sunday, June 5 Pappy and Harriet’s, Pioneertown CA+
Tuesday, June 7 The Van Buren, Phoenix AZ+
Wednesday, June 8 The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe NM+
Friday, June 10 The Criterion, Oklahoma City OK+
Saturday, June 11 Stubb’s Waller Creek, Austin TX#
Monday, June 13 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville TN#
Tuesday, June 14 Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh NC^
Wednesday, June 15 Wolf Trap, Vienna VA^
Thursday, June 16 Central Park Summerstage, New York NY#
Friday, June 17 Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia PA#
Saturday, June 18 Roadrunner, Boston MA#
Friday, July 15 Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol UK
Saturday, July 16 Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival, Stirling UK
Sunday, November 13 Great Hall - Student’s Union, Cardiff UK
Monday, November 14 The Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, November 15 The Roundhouse, London UK
Thursday, November 17 O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield UK
Friday, November 18 Olympia, Liverpool UK
Saturday, November 19 Hull University Union Asylum, Hull UK
Monday, November 21 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen UK
Wednesday, November 23 Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
Thursday, November 24 O2 City Hall, Newcastle UK
Friday, November 25 Manchester Academy, Manchester UK
Sunday, November 27 Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Monday, November 28 O2 Academy, Birmingham UK
Tuesday, November 29 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton UK
Wednesday, November 30 Brighton Dome, Brighton UK
* with Divino Niño
+ with Thee Sacred Souls
% with Tennis and Thee Sacred Souls
# with Los Bitchos
+ with Japanese Breakfast and Los Bitchos
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Interpol - Bandcamp Friday
Interpol, who just announced a co-headlining tour alongside Spoon this summer, has added six albums and one EP from their catalog to Bandcamp today as the service waives their revenue share until midnight PT. Other forthcoming, new, and less-than-new music available today includes albums from Horsegirl, Perfume Genius, Pavement, Spoon, Belle and Sebastian, Lucy Dacus, and much, much more.
Matador Records on Bandcamp
Belle and Sebastian - "If They're Shooting At You"
Photographs By:
Vadim Ghirda
Andreea Alexandru
Mikhail Palinchak
Additional Photographs By:
Matthias Derksen
Sima Ghaffarzadeh
Chest Max
Ugurcan Özmen
Olenka Sergienko
Max Vakhtbovych
stream / download "If They're Shooting At You"
Belle and Sebastian have released a new song and video piece "If They’re Shooting At You" in support of those affected by the situation in Ukraine. The visual collage is a collaboration with photographers covering the conflict in Ukraine highlighting the situation on the ground whilst offering a message of solidarity and hope.
When the situation in Ukraine first started to happen it became clear that the lives of the people there, and probably ‘ours’ too, were never going to be the same. The band had just started rolling out tracks for our new album, and it all felt a bit silly to be honest.
We had one track called ‘If They’re Shooting At You’, it’s a song about being lost, broken and under threat of violence. The key line is ‘if they’re shooting at you kid you must be doing something right.’
We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and hope that their pain and suffering can be brought to a halt as soon as possible.
We got in touch with various photographers and creatives in Ukraine and they generously said that we could put their pictures to music. In creating this we aspire to show a hopeful, defiant side, as well as bringing an awareness to the plight of the people there.
We think any way in which we can get behind Ukraine - politically, culturally, practically, spiritually - it must all add up in the end. Together we have to do what it takes to help Ukraine beat this tyranny.
Please consider giving to the Disasters Emergency Committee, The Red Cross, or any other humanitarian charity involved in the crisis.
If you choose to donate to the Red Cross, please visit here redcross.org.uk/ukraine. They are part of the joint appeal with the DEC until March 18th, and money donated before then will be matched by the UK government. - Stuart Murdoch
"If They’re Shooting At You" is a co-production between Belle and Sebastian, Shawn Everett and Brian McNeill. It features a choir fronted by Anjolee Williams. The video collage was compiled by Marisa Privitera Murdoch.
Belle and Sebastian on Tour
Tuesday, May 24 Rabbit Rabbit, Asheville NC*
Wednesday, May 25 TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, Indianapolis IN*
Thursday, May 26 The Riviera Theatre, Chicago IL*
Friday, May 27 Palace Theater, Minneapolis MN*
Saturday, May 28 The Admiral, Omaha NE*
Tuesday, May 31 Paramount Theatre, Seattle WA+
Wednesday, June 1 Roseland Theater, Portland OR+
Friday, June 3 Greek Theatre, Berkeley CA%
Saturday, June 4 Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA%
Sunday, June 5 Pappy and Harriet’s, Pioneertown CA+
Tuesday, June 7 The Van Buren, Phoenix AZ+
Wednesday, June 8 The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe NM+
Friday, June 10 The Criterion, Oklahoma City OK+
Saturday, June 11 Stubb’s Waller Creek, Austin TX#
Monday, June 13 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville TN#
Tuesday, June 14 Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh NC^
Wednesday, June 15 Wolf Trap, Vienna VA^
Thursday, June 16 Central Park Summerstage, New York NY#
Friday, June 17 Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia PA#
Saturday, June 18 Roadrunner, Boston MA#
Friday, July 15 Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol UK
Saturday, July 16 Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival, Stirling UK
Sunday, November 13 Great Hall - Student’s Union, Cardiff UK
Monday, November 14 The Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, November 15 The Roundhouse, London UK
Thursday, November 17 O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield UK
Friday, November 18 Olympia, Liverpool UK
Saturday, November 19 Hull University Union Asylum, Hull UK
Monday, November 21 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen UK
Wednesday, November 23 Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
Thursday, November 24 O2 City Hall, Newcastle UK
Friday, November 25 Manchester Academy, Manchester UK
Sunday, November 27 Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Monday, November 28 O2 Academy, Birmingham UK
Tuesday, November 29 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton UK
Wednesday, November 30 Brighton Dome, Brighton UK
* with Divino Niño
+ with Thee Sacred Souls
% with Tennis and Thee Sacred Souls
# with Los Bitchos
+ with Japanese Breakfast and Los Bitchos
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Friday March 4 : It's Bandcamp Friday (Until It Isn't)
"Revenue Waiver Fridays Are Great And We Hope The Continue Indefinitely" is a bit unwieldy so let's just say for this Bandcamp Friday we have the following new-to-the-platform offerings :
Pavement – 'Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition'
Pavement – 'Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedance Ed.'
Belle and Sebastian – 'A Bit of Previous' (Pre-order, out May 6)
matadorrecords.bandcamp.com
Coming May 6 : Belle and Sebastian - 'A Bit Of Previous'
"Unnecessary Drama" - video written and Directed by Kasparas Vidunas & Eric J. Liddle
(photo by Hollie Fernando)
(stream / download "Unnecessary Drama")
(presave / preorder 'A Bit Of Previous')
Belle and Sebastian have announced a new album 'A Bit Of Previous', coming May 6th. The album's first single, “Unnecessary Drama” premieres today (video above).
“The song is about a young person experimenting in being a human again after a forced hiatus”, says frontman Stuart Murdoch. “The person is weighing up whether or not it’s worth the mess! Still, you dip your toe in and it becomes delicious, and you get too much of it. Between trouble and nothing, we still choose the trouble."
'A Bit of Previous' is the 9th studio album by Belle and Sebastian and their first full-length in seven years. This may be surprising to anyone following the recent life pursuits of the Glasgow 7-piece: a trilogy of EP’s; a soundtrack for the directorial debut of The Inbetweeners’ Simon Bird; The Boaty Weekender – a 3000 capacity star-studded four-day music festival on a cruise liner sailing the Mediterranean; a live album showcasing the band’s present-day iteration as savvy main stage entertainers; and in 2020 a collaborative project with fans called ‘Protecting The Hive’. But in all these idiosyncratic endeavours, as intrinsic to the band’s DNA as the stage invasion at the end of each of their shows, a full-length has eluded us.
'A Bit Of Previous' is a classic Belle and Sebastian album preoccupied with songs and melodies that won’t leave your head and lyrics that can make you smile and ponder and sometimes be melancholic. It’s an album self-produced and recorded by Belle and Sebastian (with contributions from Brian McNeil, Matt Wiggins, Kevin Burleigh and Shawn Everett) and their most hands-on since 'The Boy With The Arab Strap'.
In some respects, 'A Bit Of Previous' is also a first. It’s the first album the band recorded in their native Glasgow in 20 years (the last being 2000’s 'Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant'). What started off as a pandemic necessity – having to ditch plans to record in California in spring of 2019 – became a refreshing change of pace. Unbeholden to restrictive and expensive studio schedules, it allowed for long walks through the streets and parks of Glasgow and spontaneous train journeys to nearby towns which embedded proceedings with a peculiar sense of place. The band upgraded their practice space to a makeshift studio, making some creative interior design choices to keep it pandemic safe.
'A Bit of Previous' is Belle and Sebastian taking on age and getting older and emerging all the more vital for it. "Young And Stupid" is a stuttering acoustic rocker that without its lilting violin might be mistaken for a T. Rex song, the lyrics and nonchalant vocals facing the passage of time with wry ennui: “Now we’re old with creaking bones / Some with partners some alone / Some with kids and some with dogs / Getting through the nightly slog / Everything is fine when you’re young and stupid / Everything’s divine when you’re young and stupid”. "Come On Home", with its fireside piano and conversational exchanges between Murdoch and Martin, evokes a handing over of the generational baton with a call to “Give a chance to the old / Set the record straight on the welfare state / Give a chance to the young / Everyone deserves a life in the sun”.
While the arrangements are often playful, there is an underlying gravity. The deceptively feelgood, choir backed "If They’re Shooting At You" reads like a poignant ode to defiance and survival: ‘If they’re shooting at you kid / You must be doing something right”. On Martin’s "Reclaim The Night", a jaunty backbeat tells of a cross-generational everywoman trepidation that in 2022 is more pertinent than ever.
'A Bit of Previous' is also scattered with big, occasionally delirious pop moments. "Unnecessary Drama" rips through a cacophony of overdriven riffs and a droning harmonica that borders on the unhinged and is one of the band’s heaviest outings since, well, ever. The 140+ bpm "Talk To Me Talk To Me" is ablaze with euro synths and keyboard horns as the voices of Murdoch and Martin intertwine on a breathless chorus. "Working Boy in New York City" exists in a parallel universe where the band did in fact make it to California – such is the escapist bliss of its sloping flute and bittersweet funk.
On the other side of the spectrum are some of Belle and Sebastian’s most moving ballads. Tender finger-picked paean to a lover "Do It For Your Country" and doo-wop-inflicted "Sea Of Sorrow" showcase Murdoch’s tenor at its most bare and affecting, while Stevie Jackson contributes lovelorn country waltz "Deathbed of My Dreams".
So what is a 'A Bit of Previous'? It’s a bit of everything, and a lot of what makes Belle and Sebastian so special and enduring. It’s a band tackling the insight, experience and responsibility that come with getting older with humour and irreverence and lyrical exactitude and musical bravado. It’s one of the UK’s most beloved pop portraitists asserting themselves as an infallible source of energy and fun.
There’s a touch of Buddhism, too. A practice increasingly influential on Murdoch’s outlook in recent years and given a further manifestation via his popular weekly guided online meditation sessions, a sense of empathy and compassion is present on each song. The album title, meanwhile, is possibly a reference to the concept of reincarnation. As Murdoch notes in the liner notes: “There is a firmly held belief in Buddhism that we have been reborn so many times and in so many guises that if we look around us, we are bound to see a person who has been our mother in a past life. And we are surrounded by people who have been our children. If we truly had that in our minds and in our hearts, we would drop the prejudice we had: our attitude to strangers and difficult people would alter emphatically.”
'A Bit Of Previous' is available in four different artwork covers across LP, CD and digital. The Matador / Belle and Sebastian webstore edition of the LP includes a bonus 7" with standalone track "A Bit Of Previous."
The band have also confirmed a spring-summer US tour. Full dates can be found below, alongside rescheduled UK and European tour dates for 2022 and 2023.
'A Bit of Previous' Tracklist
01. Young And Stupid
02. If They're Shooting At You
03. Talk To Me Talk To Me
04. Reclaim The Night
05. Do It For Your Country
06. Prophets On Hold
07. Unnecessary Drama
08. Come On Home
09. A World Without You
10. Deathbed Of My Dreams
11. Sea Of Sorrow
12. Working Boy In New York City
Belle and Sebastian on Tour, New Dates in Bold On Sale Friday 10am Local Time
Tuesday, May 24 Rabbit Rabbit, Asheville NC*
Wednesday, May 25 TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, Indianapolis IN*
Thursday, May 26 The Riviera Theatre, Chicago IL*
Friday, May 27 Palace Theater, Minneapolis MN*
Saturday, May 28 The Admiral, Omaha NE*
Tuesday, May 31 Paramount Theatre, Seattle WA+
Wednesday, June 1 Roseland Theater, Portland OR+
Friday, June 3 Greek Theatre, Berkeley CA%
Saturday, June 4 Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA%
Sunday, June 5 Pappy and Harriet’s, Pioneertown CA+
Tuesday, June 7 The Van Buren, Phoenix AZ+
Wednesday, June 8 The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe NM+
Friday, June 10 The Criterion, Oklahoma City OK+
Saturday, June 11 Stubb’s Waller Creek, Austin TX#
Monday, June 13 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville TN#
Tuesday, June 14 Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh NC^
Wednesday, June 15 Wolf Trap, Vienna VA^
Thursday, June 16 Central Park Summerstage, New York NY#
Friday, June 17 Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia PA#
Saturday, June 18 Roadrunner, Boston MA#
Friday, July 15 Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol UK
Saturday, July 16 Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival, Stirling UK
Sunday, November 13 Great Hall - Student’s Union, Cardiff UK
Monday, November 14 The Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, November 15 The Roundhouse, London UK
Thursday, November 17 O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield UK
Friday, November 18 Olympia, Liverpool UK
Saturday, November 19 Hull University Union Asylum, Hull UK
Monday, November 21 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen UK
Wednesday, November 23 Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
Thursday, November 24 O2 City Hall, Newcastle UK
Friday, November 25 Manchester Academy, Manchester UK
Sunday, November 27 Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Monday, November 28 O2 Academy, Birmingham UK
Tuesday, November 29 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton UK
Wednesday, November 30 Brighton Dome, Brighton UK
* with Divino Niño
+ with Thee Sacred Souls
% with Tennis and Thee Sacred Souls
# with Los Bitchos
+ with Japanese Breakfast and Los Bitchos
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Belle and Sebastian : UK / EU 2022 Dates
Belle and Sebastian have announce new tour dates for 2022. Beginning in January, the band sets off on a sixteen date UK run (their first since 2019) that includes back-to-back shows at The Roundhouse in London.
The group then hits the road again in April, for dates in Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands and Belgium.
Tickets go on general sale on Friday (June 18) at 10:00 BST / 11:00 CET, while a fan pre-sale for the UK shows begins Wednesday (June 16) at 10:00 BST / 11:00 CET.
Tour dates:
UK
Ticket details available here
Monday, January 31st Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen UK
Tuesday, February 1st Usher Hall, Edinburgh UK
Thursday, February 3rd University Union Asylum, Hull UK
Friday, February 4th De Montfort Hall, Leicester UK
Sunday, February 6th Great Hall, Cardiff UK
Monday, February 7th Academy, Manchester UK
Wednesday, February 9th Olympia, Liverpool UK
Thursday, February 10th O2 Guildhall, Southampton UK
Friday, February 11th The Dome, Brighton UK
Sunday, February 13th Corn Exchange, Cambridge UK
Monday, February 14th The Roundhouse, London UK
Tuesday, February 15th The Roundhouse, London UK
Thursday, February 17th O2 Academy, Birmingham UK
Friday, February 18th 02 Academy, Sheffield UK
Saturday, February 19th O2 City Hall, Newcastle UK
Monday, February 21st Concert Hall, Motherwell UK
EU
Monday, April 11th Tonhalle, Munich, DE
Tuesday, April 12th Fabrique, Milan, IT
Wednesday, April 13th Co-op de Mai, Clermont-Ferrand, FR
Thursday, April 14th X-tra Limmathaus, Zurich, CH
Saturday, April 16th Tempodrom, Berlin, DE
Sunday, April 17th Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, DE
Wednesday, April 20th Sentrum Scene, Oslo NO
Thursday, April 21st Tradgarn. Gothenburg, SE
Saturday, April 23rd Filadelfia, Stockholm, SE
Sunday, April 24th Vega, Copenhagen, DE
Tuesday, April 26th Tivoli Grote Zaal, Utrecht, NL
Wednesday, April 27th Casino de Paris, Paris, FR
Friday, April 29th Les Nuits Botanique, Brussels, BE
Belle and Sebastian online:
Official site
Belle and Sebastian - "Belle and Sebastian" Fan-made Lip Synch Video
Stream/purchase What to Look for in Summer
Back in December, Belle and Sebastian released What to Look for in Summer, a live double album gathering choice selections from the band’s 2019 world tour, including the epic “Boaty Weekender” summer cruise. Today, you can watch new a video for the band’s album-closing performance of “Belle and Sebastian” which has been sourced entirely from footage of fans dancing and lip-synching along to the song.
The clip joins a formidable 23-song playlist featuring dedicated visuals for each track on the What to Look For in Summer, including a mix-and-match of custom-made Belle and Sebastian dolls by Angharad Jefferson, original illustrations by Graham Samuels, and live footage from The Boaty Weekender and elsewhere.
Belle & Sebastian online
Official site
Out Today : Belle and Sebastian - 'What To Look For In Summer'
"I Didn't See It Coming" (video by Wide Eyed)
stream / purchase 'What To Look For In Summer'
Today, Belle and Sebastian release 'What to Look for in Summer', a live double album gathering choice selections from the band’s 2019 world tour, including last summer’s epic Boaty Weekender cruise.
With the release, Belle and Sebastian also present ‘channel B&S1’ – a 23-song video playlist with dedicated visuals for each track on the album. Featuring a mix-and-match of custom-made Belle and Sebastian dolls by Angharad Jefferson ("I Didn’t See It Coming", "Nice Day For A Sulk", "Dirty Dream #2"), original illustrations by Graham Samuels, ("The Fox In The Snow", "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John"), overlays for the eagle-eyed of previous Belle and Sebastian videos ("If She Wants Me", "Beyond The Sunrise") and live footage from The Boaty Weekender and elsewhere ("The Wrong Girl", "I Didn’t See It Coming") – the collection is a one-stop shop for your "What To Look For In Summer" visual companion needs.
“Someone said it would be a good idea to have a visual clip for every song on the album. But – even though we had recorded the songs live – we only had visuals for a few of them,” explains Stuart Murdoch.
“So, we set to work with a talented pair of editors to make little vignettes for each song. We were deep in Covid, so we thought it might be interesting to have the band mime along with one of the songs while we stayed inside our respective Glasgow bubbles. Hence the clip for "Arab Strap’"came about.”
“I contrived to make a clip for "My Wandering Days Are Over" on my phone featuring my nephew Ethan and our friend Meri, who lives with us,” he says. “I had to keep them socially distanced, so that became the theme for the clip.”
tracklist :
1. The Song of The Clyde £ >
2. Dirty Dream Number Two *
3. Step Into My Office, Baby *
4. We Were Beautiful +
5. Seeing Other People %
6. If She Wants Me @
7. Beyond The Sunrise &
8. Wrapped Up In Books +
9. Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John $
10. Nice Day For A Sulk (digital only) #
11. I Can See Your Future *
12. Funny Little Frog ^
13. The Fox In The Snow+
14. If You’re Feeling Sinister*
15. My Wandering Days Are Over*
16. The Wrong Girl #
17. Stay Loose%
18. The Boy Done Wrong Again #
19. Poor Boy%
20. Dog On Wheels%
21. The Boy With The Arab Strap+
22. I Didn’t See It Coming+
23. Belle And Sebastian #
£ recorded Banchory Studios, Glasgow, August 6th, 2020 (digital version)
> recorded by Kenneth McKellar (vinyl + CD versions)
* The Boaty Weekender, August 10th, 2019
+ Royal Oak Theatre, Michigan, July 21st, 2019
% Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, July 12th, 2019
# House Of Blues, Boston, MA, July 13th, 2019
^ M-Telus, Montreal, QC, July 15th, 2019
@ Carnegie Hall - Pittsburgh, PA, July 18th, 2019
& House Of Blues, Cleveland, OH, July 19th, 2019
$ Auditoria Baluarte, Pamplona, Barcelona, November 4th, 2019
Belle & Sebastian online
Official site
Belle and Sebastian - "The Fox In The Snow"
Prior to the December 11 release of their hotly antcipated live album, 'What To Look For In Summer', Belle and Sebastian have made available another track from the collection of 2019 concert recordings, "The Fox In The Snow"
stream / download "The Fox In The Snow"
presave/preorder 'What To Look For In Summer'
Belle & Sebastian online
Official site
Coming December 11 : Belle and Sebastian - 'What To Look For In Summer' 2XLP/2XCD
[caption id="attachment_35649" align="alignnone" width="537"]
Photo by @WillByington[/caption](photo : Will Byington)
"The Boy With The Arab Strap"
(video by Wide Eyed)
"My Wandering Days Are Over"
(video by Wide Eyed)
On December 11th, we're releasing Belle and Sebastian’s 'What to Look for in Summer', a live double album gathering choice selections from the band’s 2019 world tour, including last summer’s epic “Boaty Weekender” cruise.
Today, the band release new videos with the audio of live renditions of their classic songs “The Boy With The Arab Strap”, in a special near 8-minute version featuring the band in their respective Glasgow locations and a clip for “My Wandering Days Are Over,” (both above)
presave/preorder 'What To Look For In Summer'
stream/download "My Wandering Days Are Over"
All live records are a time capsule to some extent, but Belle and Sebastian’s 'What To Look For In Summer' is perhaps a bit more evocative than originally planned.
“We'd been badgered by our fan base to put out recordings of the shows,” frontman Stuart Murdoch teases. So they began multi-tracking their 2019 tour, including all three sets from the “Boaty Weekender” festival, which took place on a cruise ship. Which of those things feels more like an out-of-reach fantasy right now, simply seeing some live music, a festival, or getting on a cruise ship?
Whatever your answer, What To Look For In Summer takes you there. With COVID-19 cancelling not only 2020 live shows, but Belle and Sebastian’s plans to make a new record in Los Angeles, what started out as a between-albums, “for-the-heads” release wound up getting a bit more care and attention.
“It was something to focus on,” says Stevie Jackson. “That was very, very nice.”
“It was quite nice to be doing that when we couldn't even see each other,” echoes Sarah Martin.
When Murdoch polled Belle and Sebastian fans on Twitter, most said that their favorite live LPs were of a single concert. But hey, the fans don’t get to make the set list either. The band decided picking the best recordings from different shows was the way to go, taking their inspiration from such live albums as Yes’s Yessongs' and Thin Lizzy’s 'Live and Dangerous.
“For a while, the working title of the record was Live and Meticulous,” Murdoch says. “The record company really wanted it to still be called Live and Meticulous. But I don't like derivative things really.”
Neither a retrospective nor a back-door greatest-hits, What To Look For In Summer is the sound of a band that’s always moving forward, a picture of Belle and Sebastian in 2019 that gives equal weight to early days (“My Wandering Days Are Over,” “Seeing Other People”) and recent years (“Poor Boy,” We Were Beautiful”), with a track selection Murdoch says was almost random. “I’m a Cuckoo,” #2 on the band’s Setlist.FM stats, didn’t even make the cut. But you get three songs from 2000’s Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant (which the band played in full at the Boaty Weekender).
You also get a full picture of a group that’s always been built around Murdoch’s songs, but has three other writers in Jackson, Martin and guitarist Bobby Kildea (with all songwriting credits shared by the entire band). Martin, in particular, has become more and more prolific as a songwriter and lead vocalist over the past decade - her “I Didn’t See It Coming,” with its indelible refrain (“make me dance/I want to surrender”) is always a highlight, as is her show stopping vocal on “Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John,” originally sung by Norah Jones on 2010’s Write About Love. “It's always a little bit of a moment when she steps up and goes into the song,” says Murdoch.
Once a more introspective live group (Stuart's staying in and he thinks it's a sin/That he has to leave the house at all,” they sang on 1998’s “This is Not a Modern Rock Song”) Belle and Sebastian’s live shows for the past two decades have featured both an incredibly high level of musicality and a bit of a variety-show vibe. At one point on the album, Murdoch wonders why the band stopped its tradition of having someone bring gin cocktails to the stage mid-set.
“It just feels like you're having your friends around for dinner and you want everything to be right,” he says. “No matter how miserable your songs are - maybe most of the fans have learned to love these songs in a bedroom or a kitchen - when you come out to a show, it's a different thing. You just want everybody to feel good.”
Never is that more true than towards the end of every show. “The Boy With The Arab Strap” is both Belle and Sebastian’s “Born To Run” - they’re never not gonna play it - and their “Dancing in the Dark” to the nth degree, as scores of fans end up on stage for a bit of participatory dancing. It's a once-in-a-lifetime highlight for the kids, an occasional nightmare for the band’s production manager, and the greatest bit of fun for everybody else. Sometimes Jackson has to fight his way through the dancers to get back to the mic for his harmony vocals, while Martin gets a close-up view of people surrounding Murdoch on stage, or sometimes even hijacking the song. “I kind of enjoy it when people overstep the line,” Martin admits. “But not with me!”
Murdoch never gets tired of playing it “I genuinely look forward to it,” he says. “If the concert’s going great, it just feels like a natural vibe. And if the concert’s going okay - maybe it's a Sunday night and everybody’s a little bit flat, or still in their seats - it’s definitely the time to send it home.”
He also never gets tired of playing, period. “Touring the band is something that I never thought we'd do. It’s turned into the thrill of a lifetime, really, in a manifest, physical way. It's just the nicest experience that I think I've had in my life.”
— Jason Cohen
tracklist :
1. The Song of The Clyde £ >
2. Dirty Dream Number Two *
3. Step Into My Office, Baby *
4. We Were Beautiful +
5. Seeing Other People %
6. If She Wants Me @
7. Beyond The Sunrise &
8. Wrapped Up In Books +
9. Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John $
10. Nice Day For A Sulk (digital only) #
11. I Can See Your Future *
12. Funny Little Frog ^
13. The Fox In The Snow+
14. If You’re Feeling Sinister*
15. My Wandering Days Are Over*
16. The Wrong Girl #
17. Stay Loose%
18. The Boy Done Wrong Again #
19. Poor Boy%
20. Dog On Wheels%
21. The Boy With The Arab Strap+
22. I Didn’t See It Coming+
23. Belle And Sebastian #
£ recorded Banchory Studios, Glasgow, August 6th, 2020 (digital version)
> recorded by Kenneth McKellar (vinyl + CD versions)
* The Boaty Weekender, August 10th, 2019
+ Royal Oak Theatre, Michigan, July 21st, 2019
% Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, July 12th, 2019
# House Of Blues, Boston, MA, July 13th, 2019
^ M-Telus, Montreal, QC, July 15th, 2019
@ Carnegie Hall - Pittsburgh, PA, July 18th, 2019
& House Of Blues, Cleveland, OH, July 19th, 2019
$ Auditoria Baluarte, Pamplona, Barcelona, November 4th, 2019
Belle & Sebastian online
Official site