So before Feb I’d never been to the Ally Pally. It has taken me 3 gigs on the bounce to come to the conclusion that it’s a pants venue for a gig. Luckily for me, I’d saved the best for last.
Bombay Bicycle Club headlined their biggest gig to date, and it will be nothing short of a crime if they don’t sell out more venues like this.
I loved the first album, I loved the second album, I love the third album. Despite the fact I still think they are all 14, even 3 years after I first saw them at Lovebox, I love the fact that they are a very talented band, and I love Jack Steadman’s voice.
For some reason the 4 of us just stayed at the back, shuffling our feet and watching the kids, couples and assorted crowdsters. Before it started I was reminiscing about when I went to see Macy Gray, over 10 years ago I was right at the front at the forum, now I was a the back. My friend commented that all we had to look forward to would be spending our gigs near, or constantly in, the toilets.
Luckily for us at that point the rousing intro of How Can You Swallow so Much Sleep slide the band onto the stage and into the show. Your eyes and Leave it followed from A Different Kind of Fix, before Dust on the ground and Bad Timing completed a energised introduction.
Rinse me down and Ivy & Gold represented the beautiful acoustic album Flaws, and Cancel on Me and Open House were dusted down and given an airing from their The Boy I Used To Be EP, as well as Evening/Morning. Lights Out / Words Out and Beggars featured before Jack Steadman sat at the piano and wrenched out Still from the keys.
The band joined him back on stage and kicked into a saxophone fueled Always Like This, with the brass pumping up the joy in the song but not completely obliterating the melancholy that rides underneath before The Giantess and The Emergency Contraception Blues closed the main set.
If I was on a high after the main set, I kicked up a notch when the first bars of shuffle kicked off the encore, this song is one that always makes me smile and dance without fail. What If was their sending off after a magnificent performance and not my own tiredness, the driving rain or trek back home could wipe the smile off my face.
a strange kind of peace 