Despite the critical praise that greeted the arrival of British Sea Power’s majestic second album “Open Season” and the nerdy cultishness of their fans – it’s unlikely they’ll ever shift vast quantities of records.
Their eccentricities and dreamy ethereal songs about guillotines, girls, Antarctic ice shelves and finding God in a car park might just zip over the heads of the Coldplay massive. This is a pity, because not only is their songcraft sublimely melodious and addictive but the lyrics throw up questions about life and love we can all relate to – albeit in an intellectualised and obtuse fashion.
What the Cumbrian quintet have ditched tonight is the stage foliage and military helmets synonymous with their live performances that helped get them noticed in the first place. They do manage a deer made out of bound twigs that ends up in the crowd but it’s clear they want to let the music do the talking. The booming drums and lilting guitars of “It Ended On An Oily Stage” kick things off impressively, the mosh-side fans waving their own trees enthusiastically. Followed by a loud, stunning version of “Remember Me”, the omens are good.
However, by the time we get to the mid-way point of “Oh Larsen B”, the uniqueness of the songs has been bludgeoned out of them, Yan’s clever lyricism inaudible in the swirling guitar maelstrom. Even stand-out classics “Carrion” and disarming love song “Blackout” lose some of their wonderful distinctiveness as BSP whip though them like they can’t wait to get the express train back to Brighton. The Bowie-meets-psychedelic indie that makes them such a thrilling prospect on record is discarded as is the playfulness of the group’s onstage chemistry.
It’s not until the close, as they elongate the already epic “Lately”, that the fun really begins. A lone drummer wandering through the crowd, guitars thrown around the stage, Yan and brother Hamilton jumping off speaker stacks and lying on top of the drumkit whilst simultaneously managing to hold together a full-on rhythmic assault. It’s odd that having raced through the majority of their set they’re happy to spend a good 20 minutes pissing about like they’ve suddenly learnt to relax and enjoy what they’re doing.
There’s something utterly nerdy and misfit about British Sea Power – which they’d do well to embrace wholeheartedly.
