Bombay Bicycle Club at Alexandra Palace
The last 12 months have proven to be one of the most prolific and acclaimed stints in indie icons, Bombay Bicycle Club’s, career. Their latest LP My Big Day earned some of the strongest reviews to date while they drew a large crowd at Glastonbury, featuring special guest Damon Albarn. The band, who grew up in Crouch End, now fulfil a lifelong dream of playing Alexandra Palace in an emotional homecoming. They delivered an energetic, eclectic set in the picturesque settings of the park with a stunning view over London.
Three female-fronted supported acts, Liz Lawrence, Picture Parlour and CMAT, warmed things up nicely, each proving why they have a budding reputation. Picture Parlour have yet to release an LP but showed why they are seen as a hot prospect, certainly ones to catch live.
It was a dry summer evening with the crowd thankful for the rain staying away; the band came on stage at 8.30pm to a warm ovation and had the audience in the palm of their hand for the next 90 minutes. From the opener Just a Little More Time, it was clear that this would be a fine show, with My Big Day understandably making up the spine of the set. Singer Jack Steadman did acknowledge that they wanted to play tracks from all their albums, providing something for long-term fans and newcomers alike.
While the new tracks all sounded sublime in a live setting, perhaps most impressive was how easily they interwove deeper cuts and fan favourites. Luna, Evening/Morning and other earlier tracks all sounded excellent in the surroundings of the iconic venue with the audience often joining in. Eat, Sleep, Wake was a particular highlight, with the crowd in fine voice. It was a celebratory atmosphere with several special guests joining them across the set: Kawala, Rae Morris and Liz Lawrence for So Long See You Tomorrow and Nilüfer Yanya for a gorgeous rendition of Meditate.
The set was a wonderful showcase for the group’s growth from the more indie sounds of I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose to My Big Day’s broader sonic palette. The result was a varied gig that captured their range of musical influences with a horn section accompanying throughout.
Shuffle closed the main set as the sun set over the north London skyline before an encore of the perennial favourite Always Like This, which remains a huge draw 15 years on from its release. This concert proved why Bombay Bicycle Club’s popularity has endured and how successfully they have been able to reinvent themselves, the crowd revelling in tracks from across their career.
Christopher Connor
Photos: Guifre de Peray
For further information and future events visit Bombay Bicycle Club’s website here.
Watch the video for the single Tekken 2 here:
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