Bombay Bicycle Club, gig review: A terrific live experience to boot

Brixton Academy, London

Jack Steadman of Bombay Bicycle Club during the band's live gig at Brixton Academy (Sarah Jeynes)

“I sit and pine for wasted time,” a springy Jack Steadman implores on the indie outfit’s euphoric opener “Overdone” from their pulsating, chart-topping fourth album, So Long, See You Tomorrow.

The record is a bombay mix of influences (including The Postal Service, The New Pornographers and Bollywood - and a smattering of Paul Simon too), sometimes it’s overcooked, more often it’s inspired and uplifting.

The Crouch End quartet have been threatening a dazzling album since they first surfaced in 2006 and finally they appear to have found their groove, from the breezy electronica of “It’s Alright Now” and the Spiritualized-like “So Long, See You Tomorrow” to the ravey thump of “Carry Me”.

The twentysomethings are accompanied by Liz Lawrence’s wistful vocal, sumptuous on “Luna”, and a three-strong horn section in front of an adoring, invigorated crowd.

The new record dominates tonight but there’s also room for the fuzzy stomp “What If” (“It’s so hard to find the silent type/ Someone shy who won’t spread the hype”), the Pavement-like “Evening/Morning” and the jangly “Shuffle”, from 2011’s A Different Kind of Fix.

The once awkward Steadman seems to be morphing into a credible stadium-filling frontman and his experimental, increasingly exotic act continue to confound expectations. Which is rare. BBC deliver a terrific live experience to boot.