As the date drew nearer I was delighted to find out that St Etienne were the support act as I'd enjoyed seeing them 10 years ago in London, but had decided not to see them on their 'final UK tour' as I'd made a self-imposed rule not to pay to see people I'd seen before again this year.
I was a little less delighted to find out I had to pay an extra £16.50 to park there (in a field as it turned out!) and then to see all the tickets discounted by 30% closer to the event. If I ever see tickets for this venue again, I shall definitely hold off booking until closer to the date.
Still, with a chance to see St Etienne again and, finally, Belle and Sebastian, I was stil fairly content.
I arrived in the field about 5:30 and parked quite close to the entry. After a (second) ticket check, I followed a long path, lit by small lights strung in the trees (it was still light on my arrival, but not when I left), through the woods for around half a mile before reaching a clearing.
To my left was a rise to the 'VIP' area (they were a long way from from the stage, but there was an enclosure for them up by the right hand side of the stage as well, for those who wanted to get closer), ahead a large bar and then down a slope to my right a large grass area, with a temporary stage before the land rose again beyond it (access beyond the stage was out of bounds, though).
I settled down on the grass, as most people had, and waited, grabbing a quick beer while I did. Beer was all in cans, but I got a decent IPA for pub prices, so I can't say it was unreasonable (unlike O2 venues!).
At around 7:45, St Etienne appeared on the stage.
Sarah Cracknell looked a bit less youthful than I recalled 10 years ago (I'm 100% sure I do, too!), but her voice sounded much the same.
The men behind the synths and 'Debsy' looked much the same, if a little older.
They performed a 45 minute set to a warm reception, mostly playing their hits, starting with "Nothing Can Stop Us", "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "Pale Movie".
They included a couple of tracks from more recent albums, including their most recent from last year, which had a generally good reception.
"Spring", "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "He's On The Phone" were other hits included in the set, but I particularly enjoyed "Shower Scene".
Overall, they were great again. Sarah's voice sounded as good as ever (although I recall someone once describing her as 'comically flat' in a review), while Debsy provided good support and the drummer and guitarist filled out the synths and I was glad to have seen them, it would seem, one last time.
I posted on Facebook that it was a brave band to book St Etienne as a support act, so I wondered whether Belle and Sebastian were up to it.
Around 8:30, a film started to play on the huge screen behind the stage.
This was the woman who featured on the cover of the album 'If You're Feeling Sinister', which was their second album and formed the first half of the set tonight.
Throughout 2026, they've been playing sets including this album or "Tigermilk", their first.
Somehow, despite acquiring most of their albums, "If You're Feeling Sinister" was the one I'd missed and, while I'd bought it recently, I hadn't listened to it a great deal, so I wasn't that familiar with some of the songs.
I'll be honest, my impression of Belle and Sebastian, from their albums was that they're a quirky (There are 9 members, two of which play orchestral instruments much of the time - A Cello and a Violin) and rather whimsical band. I primarily expected a gentle, mellow performance, although I did recall reading a review where someone mentioned that a more recent album was more energetic and 'dance-focussed, much like their live performances', so I wasn't sure what to expect.
As it turned out, that review was spot on.
They played "If You're Feeling Sinister" through from start to finish, kicking off with the lively "The Stars of Track and Field", which I did know. Stuart Murdoch, the front man, sounded exactly like he does on record, but overall, the performance was far livelier, upbeat and punchier than most of their recordings suggest.
They moved through the album, with "Me and the Major", "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying" (apparently written about not really knowing how they'd survive the 'rock and roll' world as a 9 piece - Seems they've managed it as the majority of the line-up remains unchanged, 30 years later!), the title track and "Judy And The Dream Of Horses" standing out to me, but all of them sounding good.
The sound mix was excellent, with Stuart's vocals riding above the instruments - I'd go as far as to say I heard lyrics on the night that I'd missed on recordings!
Once the album was played, Stuart explained they'd take a quick break and warned us not to go far. I made it to the loo and back, just as they returned to the stage, so I'm sure some people were either there or still at the bar, although from either location you could hear the band anyway.
For me, the gig really came alive with the second section 'fan favourites'. Stuart quipped that the pressure was off once the album was played, but it really felt as if they, and the audience, had breathed out during the interval and threw themselves into the second part with relaxed enthusiasm.
They started with the slightly sinister "Soukie in the Graveyard", which really got the crowd dancing.
"Lord Anthony" isn't a favourite of mine, but it sounded pretty good and "Step Into My Office, Baby" that follows is and that sounded great!
The song that introduced me to the band was next. I heard "Boy With The Arab Strap" at a gig, playing before the band (I don't recall who, now) took the stage. I'd seen the album in record shops (remember those?), but never been interested enough to search it out and until I heard the song. After that, I rapidly acquired most of their back catalogue!
The performance was lively, pounding and energetic, the fun factor multiplied by Stuart bringing 30 or so members of the audience onto the, already quite busy with 9 musicians, stage to dance along!
They finished out the set with "I Didn't See It Coming", which I didn't recognise, but did enjoy and then they returned for one more song "Lazy Line Painter Jane" before, at 10:20, finishing the set.
Throughout Stuart had quipped and chatted easily to and with the audience and 'interviewed' a few of the crowd on stage between 'Boy...' and 'I Didn't...'
Overall, I loved the gig.
I found their live performance far more engaging and enjoyable than I'd half-expected and I would say it's, so far, a candidate for most enjoyable gig of the year.
I'm sure I'd have enjoyed "Tigermilk" slightly more as the full album, because I knew it better (interestingly I see "If You're Feeling Sinister" barely made an impression on release, only reaching 191 in the album charts!), and there were plenty of tracks I would have chosen to hear as a full 'fan favourite' setlist, but the tour is geared around the performance of one of the albums in full and then a selection of the 'hits' (did they really have any single success? Quick check: Not really, a handful of top 20s, they're very much an album band, hence their relatively low profile, I suspect).
As I sat in the chaos of the car park trying to leave (somehow I managed to be one of the very last cars out, despite beating most people back to my car!), I browsed to see if there were any more UK gigs I could easily get to.
It was that good that I immediately wanted to relive it!
If you're already a fan, you'll know how good they are. If, like me, your experience of Belle and Sebastian is solely via their recordings, treat yourself and go see them live, they will change your perception and, almost certainly, for the better!
Not this year, but in future I will try and see them again.
Finally, a note on the venue. Acoustically, it was great and the drinks were not unreasonably priced. However, I felt the car parking was massively overpriced, especially considering the chaotic exit (It took me 30 minutes to reach the road!) and it was disappointing to see tickets being offered a big reduction a few weeks before the event (some locals, apparently, got free tickets - Stuart quipping that they weren't exactly Metallica, likely to disturb the peace! - but that is more understandable). I might return if there are acts there I'd like to see again, but I would definitely wait until closer to the day (There was a ticket office open when I arrived and looking around, while it was busy by the time Belle and Sebastian came on, I'd doubt it was sold out) and see if I could make a significant saving.
St Etienne Setlist:
Nothing Can Stop Us
Who Do You Think You Are
Pale Movie
Like a Motorway
Spring
Glad
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Shower Scene
Tonight
He's on the Phone
7 Ways to Love
Belle And Sebastian Setlist:
If You're Feeling Sinister
The Stars of Track and Field
Seeing Other People
Me and the Major
Like Dylan in the Movies
The Fox in the Snow
Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying
If You're Feeling Sinister
Mayfly
The Boy Done Wrong Again
Judy and the Dream of Horses
Fan Favourites
Sukie in the Graveyard
Lord Anthony
Step Into My Office, Baby
The Boy With the Arab Strap
I Didn't See It Coming
Encore:
Lazy Line Painter Jane
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