Those wee Scots Belle And Sebastian are at it again – charming the hearts and minds of bedsit pop fans across the globe by touring behind their return-to-form 2003 album Dear Catastrophe Waitress. The band had weathered the departure of Isobel Campbell (female vocal foil to founder Stuart Murdoch) and had even enlisted the talents of producer Trevor Horn, not to mention hiring a full orchestra to make an already lush sound lusher. The subsequent world tour found them touring with a few string and horn players so that none of the album’s symphonic charms would be lost.
The bootleg at hand, then, is from a stop in Holland which was apparently broadcast – I’m assuming FM, but it could also be digital satellite – and the resulting sound is drop-dead flawless with a perfect mix that places the vocals up front but doesn’t skimp on the instrumental nuances, either. A lot of Waitress songs are showcased, but the setlist dips all the way back to the 1996 debut Tigermilk (“You’re Just A Baby”) and also includes the title track from the ’97 EP Dog On Wheels. Definitely a keeper if you’re a B&S fan, and unlike a lot of live albums, a “charming” introduction to the band if you’re not that familiar with it, too.
Both the 4-page booklet and the 2-sided tray panel feature a slew of excellent B&W photos from the concert. Really nicely done. –OSWALD
