As the heavens opened up on the packed crowd at Belle & Sebastian's very first concert in Québec City, flamboyant frontman Stuart Murdoch apologized to the audience for bringing the "Glasgow curse" along for the ride. But the effortlessly charming ensemble quickly rid listeners of any worries, launching into a jam-packed set that spanned the band's illustrious career. Beginning the evening with a high powered instrumental, the band were on point as they jumped into a shimmering rendition of "I'm a Cuckoo" before taking a break to speak with the adoring crowd in their native French.
. As the night wore on, the high-class indie pop outfit steadily progressed through a smattering of hits, including the '60s-pop inspired "To Be Myself Completely" and ABBA-indebted disco rarity "Your Cover's Blown." Although the group occasionally suffered a few technical difficulties due to the number of instruments and performers on stage, Murdoch continued to power through, providing a spot-on rendition of Tigermilk classic "Expectations" while softly lounging on the stage like a less-pompous but equally fanciful Morrissey. Recruiting volunteers from the audience to dance alongside the band for the career defining "The Boy With the Arab Strap," the rain let up just in time for the group to finish things off with If You're Feeling Sinister's "Judy and the Dream of Horses" and crowd sing-along "Get Me Away from Here, I'm Dying." As the house lights came on after the band's hour and a half long set, Murdoch urged the rain-soaked crowd to "Go home and get dry or go home and get drunk." And judging by the expression on the frontman's face, this certainly wouldn't be his last visit to the Québec capital.
To see more photos from Festival D'ête, click to our gallery here.
. As the night wore on, the high-class indie pop outfit steadily progressed through a smattering of hits, including the '60s-pop inspired "To Be Myself Completely" and ABBA-indebted disco rarity "Your Cover's Blown." Although the group occasionally suffered a few technical difficulties due to the number of instruments and performers on stage, Murdoch continued to power through, providing a spot-on rendition of Tigermilk classic "Expectations" while softly lounging on the stage like a less-pompous but equally fanciful Morrissey. Recruiting volunteers from the audience to dance alongside the band for the career defining "The Boy With the Arab Strap," the rain let up just in time for the group to finish things off with If You're Feeling Sinister's "Judy and the Dream of Horses" and crowd sing-along "Get Me Away from Here, I'm Dying." As the house lights came on after the band's hour and a half long set, Murdoch urged the rain-soaked crowd to "Go home and get dry or go home and get drunk." And judging by the expression on the frontman's face, this certainly wouldn't be his last visit to the Québec capital.
To see more photos from Festival D'ête, click to our gallery here.
