“It’s great to be back, thanks for coming down,” said Jack Steadman, frontman of London indie-pop-rock band, Bombay Bicycle Club to a packed out venue. Having taken a hiatus back in 2016 after 10 years to focus on solo projects and their own lives, it was a pleasant surprise when the band announced they were to make a comeback in 2019. But after their performance at Southampton’s 1865, it’s like they never left at all.
Amongst the all-grown-up Tumblr kids and the actual grown-ups in the audience, there’s a unifying sense of togetherness in the room. Opening up with the lead single, ‘Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)’ from the new album ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’, the band are welcomed on-stage with open arms and endless cheering and whooping. Showcasing new music and reliving the best of the old, it’s as if there was no one else in the room whilst they bounced away on-stage.
Nostalgia is a recurring theme here tonight, with the past coming to meet the present. From new tracks such as ‘Is It Real’ into ‘Overdone’ and ‘It’s Alright Now’, the latter two tracks from their 2014 album, So Long, See You Tomorrow. The band took to their Instagram to describe ‘It’s Real’ after its debut on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 Show. “A song about taking a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about the old times and cherished memories and wondering when sat next to the responsibilities and struggles of adult life, how any of those fondly remembered days were real.”
The newly-released singles ‘I Can Hardly Speak’ and album title track ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’ show that history has a funny way of repeating itself, with ‘Good Day’, written by bassist Ed Nash seamlessly transitioning into old fan favourite ‘How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep’ from their 2011 album ‘A Different Kind of Fix’. The question now is, are Bombay Bicycle Club about to revive indie music for what it truly is? By the eclectic sounds of the new songs, they might do just that.
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Liz Lawrence joins in for songs like ‘Lights Out, Words Gone’ and ‘Luna’, guitarist Jamie MacColl taking a step back to make space on-stage for her, refreshing proof that no one gets left behind in this band. With no backdrop, no confetti cannons and no fancy pyrotechnics, watching them perform is like watching friends jam out with each other, all sharing a pure love and devotion for their art.
Well, it’s safe to say Bombay – it’s nice to have you back.
EVERYTHING ELSE HAS GONE WRONG RELEASED FRIDAY 17TH JANUARY 2020
LISTEN TO BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB’S NEW MUSIC HERE
INSTAGRAM: @BOMBAYINSTA
THE VINYL SPINS 