Review – Bombay Bicycle Club, Marble Factory, Bristol 22nd October

From listening in my halls kitchen at 2am to the iconic marble factory venue, seeing Bombay bicycle club was something that I have anticipated for the past year and a half. When I walked past the masses queuing alongside the road, I knew exactly how much this band meant to everyone. Since their last release 3 years ago, their newest LP “My big day” was a much needed part of their substantial discography and I was incredibly excited to see it performed in the flesh.

Having decided not to have a support before the gig, the band strolled confidently on stage to screams of esurient fans, the long wait was over, and the show commenced starting with “just a little bit more time” a punchy delight with sounds mimicking that of a homecoming chorus or a celebratory horn made with some funky synths, their happiness at being back from their hiatus and personal projects made evident by the ability to have fun to self produce and carefully curate their sixth studio album on their own terms, for their own enjoyment just as much as their fanbase. This track was followed by an equally fun song “sleepless” which on the album features the talented Jay Som and really got the crowd swaying to the groovy rhythms.

The set then took a turn in tempo, the band treating the excitable gig goers to their rockiest track on the new album “ I want to be your only pet” which is one of my personal favourites; it’s hard hitting drums and guitar working in pendulum with whispery vocals to create a diverse song which stands apart from the rest of the album. The band certainly enjoyed playing it live, bouncing around the stage having the time of their lives whilst the crowd mirrored their electric stage presence on the venue floor.

I was curious to see if Bombay would play any of their classics, and was ecstatic to hear the jumpy piano of “shuffle” filling the venue with its happy chords. This was met with a roar of approval from the older fans and I found myself putting down my camera to relish in one of my all time favourite songs. Jack and the rest of the band then continued to honour their previous albums with tracks “ feel” an infectious bollywood inspired track which had everyone dancing with their hands in the air. “Eat sleep wake( nothing but you) was potentially one of the greatest songs I’ve seen played live, every aspect of the original recording from their 2020 album magnified perfectly by their on stage dynamism. They also played “lights out, words gone” and “luna” which thrilled myself and the enraptured crowds before them. Being able to watch from the balconies behind the stage was an incredible experience seeing some of my favourite songs loved equally as much by so many.

In terms of the newer tracks, there was a slight diminish in fan knowledge when it came to lyrics, but did not change the electric atmosphere that could only be found at a Bombay bicycle club show. A song which I am sure will mature into a fan favourite and a sure highlight of the night was “ Tekken 2 “ which on the album features disco queen Chaka Khan, and has a neat synth reminiscent of disco from years past. Due to the level of collaborations found on the album, I’m looking forward to the next year when the band takes the album further with the shows, hopefully bringing in some surprise guests such as “diving” ‘s Holly Humberstone, which sounded great standalone with Steadman and vocalist Olivia Jones, but would be incredible to see live between the original duo. The new album is incredible, it’s happy and doesn’t take things too seriously, letting the band play around and experiment in a therapeutic “we’re doing this for us” attitude to production.

In my mind the hour long set wasn’t enough for either band or fans, the night drawing to a close as quickly as it had begun, it’s encore the acclaimed “ always like this” booming through the venue, I’m sure it could’ve been heard over in Cabot.

In my years of going to gigs, never have I seen a more positive ambience to a room; Bombay bicycle club continues to deliver the highest quality level of performance and plays with an uttermost care and enthusiasm for the fans who have helped them achieve such heights in the indie rock scene. Every project they bring out delivers in a experimental “ never the same” manner, you can never expect what they will do next, but I know that “ my big day” will be played daily in my headphones for the next 6 months.