After waiting outside of the Middle East in Cambridge for a half hour after doors were to open for the Bombay Bicycle Club concert on Friday, I was surprised to notice that not too many people had arrived in time for the first opener, Lucy Rose. Now I know that timeliness is not a primary quality of the general college age concert-goer, however, I happened to know that Lucy Rose is an exceptionally talented acoustic artist who also provides harmonies and back-up vocals for the headlining band, and assumed everyone else was aware of her greatness. Once she began her set, much to her humble surprise, a handful of the audience who had the great delight in catching her set knew the words to many of her songs. She was so surprised that she invited a fan from the audience to sing alongside her to her song “Night Bus.” This duo received rambunctious applause, and caused even more people to sing along to the rest of her pitch perfect, acoustically minded set (did I mention she was solo on stage? Yeah, she rocked). Keep your ears open for Lucy’s music, since she graciously offered her new CD to the folk rotation playlist here at the station.
Next up, The Darcys gave an extreme departure from Lucy Rose’s strong but peaceful acoustic act. Lucky to be close to the stage, I caught a glimpse of their intricate pedal/switch apparatus and prepared myself for aural evisceration. Their elaborate melodies drew the audience in (keyboard and drum sections reminiscent of Mutemath), while their epic breakdowns brought to mind heavier elements of Bombay Bicycle Club. The uncontainable, yet clearly carefully orchestrated energy of The Darcys fuelled the excitement of the crowd for the headliners, who came out soon after the Canadian openers.
Needless to say, the audience was pretty pumped by the time BBC hit the stage. They started off with their newest single (which, by the way, is supported by a pretty rad music video), “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep” off their album, A Different Kind of Fix, and kept up the energy throughout their whole set, sampling music from all of their releases. Another song off their newest release, “Leave It,” gave a great sense of Bombay Bicycle Club’s solid handle on making alternative rock hooks, creating solid harmonies, and truly appearing to enjoy themselves and their company. This band is not in the business of hiding their smiles or appreciation of their fans. At one point in the set, members of the band held up percussion instruments for the drummer, Suren de Saram, to jam out to, while Jack Steadman (lead singer/ guitarist) dutifully held up a fan to his rhythm keeper. This show of affection and various content looks assured the audience that we were witnessing the true nature of this Club’s proceedings.
The crowd’s favorites of the night seemed to be a very spirited version of “Ivy and Gold,” a folky tune carried quite well by guitarist Jamie McColl, “Evening/Morning”, and as the encore, their hyper energetic single, “Shuffle.” The bass lines of Ed Nash and the unique, heartfelt and often scathing vocals of Mr. Steadman brought the show together beautifully for their final track, “What If.” The band finished the song leaving all they had on the stage, and leaving the audience feeling like they were truly extended members of the Club for the night.
Lucy Rose: http://www.myspace.com/lucyrosemusic
The Darcys: http://thedarcys.ca/
Bombay Bicycle Club: http://www.bombaybicycleclubmusic.com/
For more photos, check out WTBU’s photo gallery.
By: Natalie Frassica