For a group previously deemed even too fey for most Belle And Sebastian fans, The Gentle Waves have certainly undergone a transformation of late. Led by the immutably, perfectly petit Isobel Campbell, the Waves' second album 'Swansong For You' is a smoky delight, imbued with the spirits of Morricone, Piaf and 'Blow Up' as much as it is with C.S. Lewis and the Brothers Grimm. And a man very much at the heart of Campbell's expansive new sound is Glaswegian jazz maverick and tonight's opening act, Bill Wells.
Wells, a rotund, bald man with fantastic, bushy eyebrows, certainly lends himself to the erudite aspirations of the indie milieu, for those members of the audience with a fledgling jazz collection and a healthy stake in sampling and electronica. He prays over his piano like some lost world organ grinder, petitioning the ghosts of Mingus, Davis and Sun Ra into a stew of treated rhythm loops and aching cupped trumpet. B&S guitarist Stevie Jackson languishes centre-stage, stretching, fragmenting his trademark guitar twang (Stevie always sounds like he's playing in a church) and revealing a divine vocation for smouldering harmonica over the lonesome trail of 'Incorrect Practise' and the solemn eloquence of 'Presentation Piece #2'. The set is so tenderly soldered together, the audience can barely find an interlude to express their appreciation, but it's nonetheless evident by their silent submission.
Wells is back in tow to join The Gentle Waves six-piece line-up on guitar. But minus the string orchestrations that lift and glide through 'Swansong For You', the Waves' set nestles into a downbeat groove. Although Campbell's ensemble now only features one other Belle, organist Chris Geddes, her troops are bolstered with flute, drums, xylophone, piano and a double bass so large its player is in danger of being crushed. As a frontwoman, Campbell's charisma is escalating by the song. Casually dressed, but still naturally exuding that '60s picture-perfect Edie Sedgewick demeanour, she'd light up the life of any confirmed duffel coat on a harsh Monday night.
It's the new material that engages most, from the baroque-folk magic of new single 'Falling From Grace' to the finger-clicking swing of 'October's Sky', featuring a smokin' Bill Wells sample. There are still traces of Isobel's cutesy story book fantasies, not least of all 'Pretty Things' ("Do you like pretty things/ Would you caress broken wings?") with its tender pitter-patter drums and quietly shimmering melange of flute and trumpet. But there's an underlying jazziness to everything Isobel does now. She has the confidence to carry John Cale's 'I'm Not The Loving Kind', her tentative lilt finding a newfound resonance.
And if it's all been disconcertingly quiet so far, they finish with a full on dancefloor jazz rendition (with drum solo!) of 'The Beat Goes On'. And that's it, no encore, which is a shame because it felt as though The Gentle Waves were just finding their groove. That said, these new pastures very much become them.
Leagues O'Toole
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