BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE

SATURDAY - KING TUTS WAH WAH TENT

2.15PM

Broken Social Scene last played here a couple of years back following their first album. They’ve since released three more and are touring rigorously. The band has fifteen members but I ‘only’ counted nine on stage. Still, the sound is like it’s a full-on orchestra. You actually feel like you’re being sucked into a kaleidoscope movie world of beautiful sounds.

Leadsinger, Kevin Drew, chilled out in beanie and hoodie, brings a joy and vigour to the rapidly filling King Tuts Wah Wah tent and opens  with ‘World Sick’, Stars and Sons’ and the explosive canniness of 'Texico Bitches' with its delirious screeching in the chorus. This song was great on the album but live, it pulls you to the ceiling. The screech is at once joyous and overwhelming.

‘It’s a beautiful day,’ leadsinger Drew croons U2 stylee.  ‘We’ve a bunch of songs we want to play – only got fourteen minutes left, already had ten so we’re not going to talk – just play songs.’

There’s a guitarist, trumpet player and saxophonist, keyboards, drums and a range of percussion. And the band move seamlessly through their big full worlds, dense with textures, stories and feelings. I am torn between tears of relief and heart-full joy and, looking around at the transfixed gaxes of wonder, I’m not the only one.

‘7/4 Shoreline’ and ‘Fire Eyed Boy’ follow.
‘How you doing? How’s everybody doing? We’re going to sing you a song now about how they try to push things upon us in the modern world. It’s called ‘Forced To Love’ and it goes like this.’

‘Forced To  Love’ has the harder edges which break this band apart from the Arcade fire/folky-inspired bands. It can also be heard coming out of your local Topshop right now. The band's uniqueness comes from their ability to hone in and balance all the different elements to create a definitive world. Their lack of self-indulgence leads to keenly crafted pieces which absorb you totally.

‘Cause Time’ and the Cocteau Twins’ reminiscent ‘All 2 All’ complete the lyric-based set. Going to see Broken Social Scene is a healing, freeing experience. It’s beyond words. Take every life-changing movie you ever saw and transform it into music – that’s Broken Social Scene. 

The lyricless ‘Meet Me in the Basement’ is their finale.  Ever caring, Drew’s parting shot includes a reminder for us to ‘drink lots of water and take vitamin C so you don’t catch a cold.’  Aw bless.  Even if we didn’t take the advice (there weren’t many oranges for sale at the festival and, although more than enough water, little of it was the drink of choice), we certainly took the music.  In bucketfuls.