Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop group from Glasgow, Scotland, active since 1996. The line-up includes Stuart Murdoch, Stuart David, Isobel Campbell, Mick Cooke, Chris Geddes, Richard Colburn, Stevie Jackson, Sarah Martin and Bobby Kildea. Their music is associated with indie pop, indie rock, baroque pop, chamber pop, dance-pop and indie folk, and they are linked to the labels Electric Honey, Jeepster Recordings, Matador Records and Rough Trade.

Formation and early releases

The group forms around Stuart Murdoch, who writes songs after a long period of illness that keeps him at home and away from school. He works with bassist Stuart David, whom he meets through a government training programme called Beatbox, and then brings in other Glasgow musicians for an initial recording project for Stow College. That first line-up includes Stevie Jackson on guitar, Mick Cooke on trumpet, Chris Geddes on keyboards, Stuart David on bass, Richard Colburn on drums and Isobel Campbell on cello.

The project becomes the debut album Tigermilk, recorded over three days and first issued in 1996 on Electric Honey Records in a limited vinyl pressing. Its word-of-mouth success helps establish the band as a working group rather than a one-off student project. Their second album, If You’re Feeling Sinister, also appears in 1996, released on Jeepster. It is recorded in a week and helps build a critical following in Britain and beyond.

Style and image

The band is known for an intimate, detailed sound that mixes folk-rock elements with 1960s pop influences. Stuart Murdoch’s lyrics often combine whimsy and surrealism with precise, sometimes unsettling details. In their first two years of public activity, the group keeps its personal image guarded, using publicity photos of a reluctant friend rather than themselves. They also perform in unusual settings, including homes, church halls, libraries, coffeehouses and cafes.

1980s-style pop success and later releases

Through 1997, the group releases the EPs Dog on Wheels, Lazy Line Painter Jane and 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light, each of which places higher on indie charts and receives strong critical attention. Sarah Martin joins later in 1997. The Boy With the Arab Strap appears in 1998 after the band secures a deal with Matador Records, and Tigermilk later receives a wider reissue.

After Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant in 2000, Stuart David leaves to focus on his solo project Looper and Bobby Kildea joins from V-Twin. In 2001 the group releases Jonathan David and I’m Waking Up to Us and records the soundtrack for Todd Solondz’s film Storytelling. Isobel Campbell leaves during a North American tour in 2002. The band then signs with Rough Trade and releases Dear Catastrophe Waitress in 2003, produced by Trevor Horn. The album includes “Step into My Office, Baby” and “I’m a Cuckoo”; the latter becomes their biggest UK hit, reaching number 14.

Later albums

After touring internationally, the band returns to Scotland and records The Life Pursuit, released in 2006. Write About Love follows in 2010.