Bombay Bicycle Club have been at the forefront of music news recently, due to their new singles ‘Carry Me’ and ‘Luna‘ – a glimpse at their upcoming fourth album So Long, See You Tomorrow.
With their progress over the years also came the emergence of Lucy Rose, who provided backing vocals for Bombay Bicycle Club’s Flaws and A Different Kind of Fix. Her debut album Like I Used To was released in September 2012.
Featuring on Bombay Bicycle Club’s new album is another female vocalist, Rae Morris, one of XFM’s Great X-pectations for 2014, who will be supporting Bombay Bicycle Club on their UK tour in March.
Radio 1 announced on Twitter, Monday 27th January, that the band – along with some extra members – would be performing an intimate live session at the studio, giving eager fans just two days to apply for tickets. Only 20 pairs of tickets were available.
Standing on the balcony of Studio 4, the audience were gazing down on the extended band – from what we could see there were 11 members in view – as well as Zane Lowe who took a break from his booth to see the band perform their latest single ‘Luna‘.
The band opened their set with ‘Overdone’, the first track from the upcoming album. With a more rock-like, darker feel, the band gave it their all, making use of practically every instrument and piece of equipment in the studio. Jack Steadman and Morris’ vocals particularly shone in this opening track.
Throughout the session, lead singer Steadman, introduced various members to the audience. Undoubtedly, Morris was introduced at the start of ‘Luna’, as she gave the balcony audience a coy smile. The brass trio – who performed faultlessly – were introduced at the end of ‘Always Like This’ from debut album I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose. Whilst Liz Lawrence – who will be on the road with the band in Europe, UK and USA – provided the backing vocals for ‘Lights Out, Words Gone’; one of the tracks which featured Lucy Rose.
Stand-out moments were definitely the piano orientated songs: ‘Whenever, Wherever’ and ‘Eyes Off You’. Steadman’s soft, ethereal vocals along with his lyrics full of emotion, left the audience in awe.
Closing the set was ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’, the final track on the album. With limited vocals, the song relied heavily on its instrumental melodies, making it a great choice for the finale of both the live session and the album.
The band’s presence on stage was full of energy, with every member clearly having a great time, which resonated through some of the audience.
For those who missed it live on the radio, the hour-long session is available to listen to here.
So Long, See You Tomorrow is out 3rd February.
