Belle and Sebastian – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax
By Steve Crabtree, June 2026
I usually start my live music reviews by talking about my connection to the band, group, or artist. I like to tell the story about what they’ve meant to me in years gone by, however trivial. But in truth, other than being well aware of the name, I don’t have any massive history with Belle and Sebastian.
Before tonight, I’m not even sure I could have named you more than two or three of their tunes.
But that’s the absolute beauty of live music, isn’t it? Even if a band has been around for three decades, they can still feel brand new to your ears. Tonight, they were in Halifax to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their biggest album, playing it in its entirety.
Belle and Sebastian were around at a time when proper British bands completely saturated the music industry. Back then, it was impossible to like, love, or even know every single one of them. But they’ve stood the test of time, and as the wife and I found out, they know exactly how to put on a happy, upbeat, and thoroughly enjoyable live show.
“Indie-dance royalty”
We got into the Piece Hall around 7:30pm, and I’ll let you into a secret. What initially drew me to this gig wasn’t actually the headliner. It was the fact that a subtle favourite of mine from back in the 90s was taking up the support slot. Indie-dance royalty Saint Etienne had agreed to do their first gig in three years as the undercard for this one.
They were always going to be more than just a standard warm-up act. Sarah Cracknell and the rest of the band were incredibly strong, forcing the early arrivals to focus all their attention on the stage.
They treated us to a sublime set. The opening track ‘Nothing Can Stop Us’ got the hips moving early on, but it was the big hitters that earned the loudest cheers. ‘Join Our Club’ and ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ had everyone singing along, and ‘He’s On the Phone’ went down like it was the last song of the night.
What a shame we only had 45 minutes. It was a proper nostalgic dance-up that most people knew, loved, and happily moved to under the Halifax sky. And what a way to get us in the mood for the headliner.
“Smiling faces”
At 9pm, Belle and Sebastian walked out to massive cheers from a crowd who clearly love the more serene sounds of indie-folk. They wasted no time launching into that seminal ten-track album, If You’re Feeling Sinister.
The anniversary celebrations started with an impressive version of ‘The Stars of Track and Field’ before gliding into ‘Seeing Other People’.
Frontman Stuart Murdoch is a remarkably happy soul, and that positive energy filtered out across the place. Fan favourites like ‘Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying’, the title track ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’, and the beautifully melancholy ‘The Boy Done Wrong Again’ sounded superb in the open air.
The atmosphere was beautifully relaxed. And I’ll keep using the word happy, because that was the feeling for the entire night. A sea of smiling faces revelling in a band that genuinely gives a great live show.
“Totally joyous”
The second set was just as impressive as the album set. ‘Step Into My Office, Baby’, ‘Reclaim the Night’ and ‘Another Sunny Day’ were fantastic as the sunny day had turned to night, and the real moment of the night came when they dropped ‘The Boy With The Arab Strap’.
My song of the night, and perhaps everyone else’s too. It saw the entire Piece Hall floor moving in a totally joyous way – a sight I haven’t seen since Jungle played here two summers ago. It was spectacular. And to top it off, the band invited around 30 fans to join them on stage to dance like no-one except 6,000 people were watching. You couldn’t help but smile at the sheer fun of it all.
“A fine job”
Belle and Sebastian had done a fine job this evening. Not just for us who are getting to know them, but for their long and loyal fanbase too. They brought the curtain down with ‘Dear Catastrophe Waitress’ and a triumphant ‘Sleep The Clock Around’, and it was obvious it’d been a great night.
Going to a gig or concert for a band you don’t know inside out can always be a bit of a lottery. But our tickets were winning ones tonight.
Mind you, I could have asked absolutely anyone in The Piece Hall if they’d enjoyed themselves, and they’d have happily said yes with a beaming smile on their face.
Oh. And guess what? I can name a lot more songs of theirs now..!
Images: Cuffe & Taylor
Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.
