Conor Oberst & The Felice Brothers - Corner Hotel, 26 February 2015

Never seen either of these guys before but both put on really great shows. The Felice Brothers set seemed a little bit hurt by the fact they had a crowd that was only half paying attention and that their set was over just as they were starting to fire, but they still did a great job (particularly given they were on stage for nearly three hours a night on this tour).

The Felice Brothers backed Conor Oberst for his set, it really highlighted what a flexible band they are, because it didn't seem like their folk/country background limited the set choices in any way. The set was very wideranging, covering solo material, Bright Eyes and some covers (including a Felice Brothers song). The set lasted two hours (which he apologised for a few times) because he only makes it here every three or four years (because the plane ride is a bitch). My only criticism would be that the encore seemed to lose a bit of momentum thanks to some slower songs, but really this was a great show.

Unfortunately, I stood in a different spot to my usual and the sound isn't as good as past recordings. Nothing awful, but a bit too much bass and a little noise from a nearby fan. I can't imagine it will worry anyone particular, but it's worth noting.

Felice Brothers

Murder by Mistletoe
Honda Civic
Lion
Silver in the Shadow
Wonderful Life (w/ Conor Oberst)
Penn Station
Dead Dog
Cumberland Gap
Hey Hey Revolver
Cherry Licorice

Conor Oberst

Napoleon's Hat
Southern State
Four Winds
Time Forgot
Hundreds of Ways
Ten Women
Artifact #1
Well Whiskey
Poison Oak
An Attempt to Tip the Scales
We Are Free Man
Meadow of a Dream
Lenders in the Temple
Zigzagging Towards the Light
Cape Canaveral
Soul Singer in a Session Band
Method Acting
Easy/Lucky/Free

Milk Thistle
Walls (w/ John Darnielle)
Another Travellin' Song
A Song to Pass the Time

Felice Brothers

Conor Oberst

Belle & Sebastian - Palais Theatre, 1 February 2015

Belle & Sebastian are a reliably great band, so no real surprise that this was a great show. Last tour they played the Forum, so it's a big jump to the Palais, but the show seemed to have sold pretty well. The band kicked off with two songs from their new album, which is always a ballsy opening move. The new tracks are good, but incredibly upbeat, which was a bit weird in a seated venue (with notoriously officious policies). After that most of the songs were fairly low tempo, until Stuart announced that anyone who wanted to dance should follow him, as he walked through the aisles. A large group ended up following him up to the stage for the Boy with the Arab Strap (one even having a go at singing a verse, despite not actually knowing the lyrics).

My only complaint was that it would have been nicer to have a slightly longer show. 90 minutes is really the minimum length for a headlining show, and B&S have a large enough (and good enough) back catalog to play at least a few more songs.

Nobody's Empire
The Party Line
Seeing Other People
Expectations
Beautiful
Allie
Perfect Couplles
The Fox in the Snow
Wrapped Up in Books
The Power of Three
Electronic Renaissance
Dirty Dream #2
A Summer Wasting
The Boy with the Arab Strap
Legal Man
Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying

Funny Little Frog
Me and the Major

FLAC

MP3