A new favourite band

Bombay Bicycle Club with The Darcys, and Lucy Rose
West End Cultural Centre
Saturday, February 25, 2012


I really like The Darcys, so naturally, when I saw that they were coming to Winnipeg, I was excited. I knew one Bombay Bicycle Club song ("Shuffle") and liked it enough not to mind seeing the band play live. No joke, this is the thought pattern that led to buying a ticket. My philosophy on concerts most of the time is, "Go for the opening band, stay for the headliner." I also prefer to let the live show sway me on bands because if a band sucks live, I won't spend any more energy on them.

Well.

The WECC was packed by the time Bombay Bicycle Club hit the stage, and I was absorbed by the music immediately. I. Loved. It. Every song was gold. I recognized one other song, too ("Leave It"). "Lights Out, Words Gone" gets played a lot when I get home from work. The weakest link was the vocals, but that could have been tour fatigue. The band was clearly happy to be playing to us, a new and enthusiastic audience for the London, England band. I picked up A Different Kind of Fix at the merch table on my way out, and play it quite a bit.

The Darcys put on a great show and if I had hated Bombay Bicycle Club, I still would have been glad I attended. I was disappointed that The Darcys don't have CDs for sale, only vinyl records or free downloads. I'm not saying I don't like free downloads (I do!), but I refuse to buy vinyl. It's a craze that I can't afford to get into! And I don't have a record player. Maybe I should have handed them ten bucks for the free download...would that have been weird?

Lucy Rose began the night. She sat at the front of the stage with her guitar, and had everyone mesmerized. She kept remarking on how quiet and polite we were. We were listening! Her voice is beautiful. I learned once I got home and was reading the liner notes on Bombay Bicycle Club's CD that she sang back-up on a few of their tunes, so that explained why they took her on tour with them. She also performed with them on a few songs.

Overall, I'd say this was one of the best line-ups I've seen in awhile, and so far the standout concert of the year (the year is young, I know). I hope they all come back soon!