British Sea Power

+ These New Puritans

Koko, London - 31 Jan 2008

by Jon Fletcher

Long undervalued, British Sea Power return to London to wow the converted

"This is no tour-weary rabble churning out the same old tripe for the umpteenth time"

All pictures © Jon Fletcher

For those of us that had previously discounted British Sea Power’s former warblings as being just a bit dull, ‘All In It’, the opening track of their latest album, proves as effective a wake-up call live as it does on record. Forget that the band aren’t actually playing – or even on stage - when the hymnal chanting first echoes through Koko’s darkened auditorium. The repeated refrain of “We’re all in it and we close our eyes,” seems to embody the quality that the hordes of fans packed into the blackness hold dear about this band; the thoughtful, emotive pull of a world seen through different eyes, softly spoken yet grandly beautiful.


British Sea Power | For more BSP pics from the show, click here.

From then on, there is no let up. Old favourites (new favourites for some of us) are dispersed among newer tracks with an ease born of a back catalogue that is consistent in its distinction and diversity. More telling still, some of the newcomers, such as recent single ‘Waving Flags’, already have an anthemic quality that normally takes years of fan adoration to generate. The effect is even more pronounced on ‘No Lucifer’ – its chant of “easy” is picked up by the crowd on numerous occasions before the band eventually appease them, accompanied by a man in wrestling gear and flying goggles.

There is no question that British Sea Power are more accessible live, but this show is about something more than accessibility. They may be known for their onstage tomfoolery (and foliage) – and there is certainly plenty of that tonight, complete with stage diving and another man, this time in a bear suit – but the magic comes from the band themselves. The way the musicians throw themselves into every track; the way they charge about the stage during the crescendos; the way they are stilled in the lulls; it all conveys a sense of something elemental and organic. This is no tour-weary rabble churning out the same old tripe for the umpteenth time.


British Sea Power | For more BSP pics from the show, click here.

The originality is accentuated by These New Puritans, who fill the main support slot. Despite considerable media chuntering about this lot, large slabs of the band’s material are depressingly bland. They may fit under a ‘now’ banner better than British Sea Power, but when they’re not latched onto a thumping bass riff, they seem lost and worse still, almost static on the Koko stage.


These New Puritans | For more TNP pics from the show, click here.

In contrast, British Sea Power seem to play their instruments – and the audience – like an elaborate game. One minute they’re hard as nails, hammering away in a storm of screeching guitars and distortion. The next they’re tracing a haunting violin refrain, or bouncing jubilantly around lyrics that fall somewhere between commentary and comedy.

It’s no surprise that by the close of the encore, when guitarist Martin Noble launches himself into the audience from the shoulders of the wrestler, the adulation of the crowd seems to know no bounds. They may still be a relatively well kept secret, but boy do they reward those in the know.

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