By Monrovia Van Hoose
Belle and Sebastian played two nearly sold-out shows at ACL Live at the Moody Theatre on June 1st and 2nd. Their 2026 world tour celebrates the 30th anniversary of their first two albums, Tigermilk and If You’re Feeling Sinister. Recorded just three months apart during the winter of 1995 to 1996, these albums are beloved and influential touchstones in the indie rock world.
Frontman Stuart Murdoch has a lot of affection for Austin, and it showed on both nights. He excitedly talked about soaking up the heat like a “lizard,” fan girled over Daniel Johnston, hosted a meditation session at the capitol the day after their first show, and seemed a little disappointed that YouTube yogi Adriene and her dog Benji weren’t in the crowd.
Both nights, the crowd was as quiet and attentive as an audience at the symphony, except for the occasional roar. In one instance, a giant, magnificent roar from one man. Or, as Murdoch put it, an “incredible outburst.” But I think his vocalization was a welcome contribution on behalf of the introverts gently swaying in the crowd. He was expressing what their gentle souls could not.
Local band Voxtrot opened both nights. This was a meaningful achievement for lead singer Ramesh Srivastava. He and Murdoch have been friends for decades, having met before he formed Voxtrot. One has to wonder if he’s influenced Murdoch’s love of Austin. Did Srivastava regale him with descriptions of Barton Springs when they met in Glasgow, perhaps during those long, cold winters?
Voxtrot formed in Austin in the early 2000s, and were met with critical acclaim early on. They disbanded in 2010 so that Srivastava could pursue a solo career. In a podcast conversation with Murdoch, he admits it was more difficult than anticipated. Voxtrot got back together for a reunion tour in 2022, and this evolved into the band resuming writing and recording new material. I had never heard Voxtrot before that night, so I wasn’t familiar with any of their songs. But they put on an energetic show to an audience that was happy to have them back onstage.
On the first night, Belle and Sebastian played Tigermilk in its entirety, and the theme was a love letter to their origins. They showed an introductory film with imagery of the young members capering around Glascow, overdubbed with a story of how they got together and made the album. Each subsequent song had its own mini-movie. The production value of each was high enough to warrant end credits. Some reflected the story being told in the song; some were more abstract, evoking Warhol, Adrian Tomine, and even Mad Men.
Learning that Murdoch had been ill with chronic fatigue syndrome in the years before he formed the band added to the joy of seeing him warm up and shed layers throughout the night. By the time he brought a dozen fans onstage to dance with him to “Boy with the Arab Strap,” he was in his undershirt and really moving! During the surprise encore of The Blues are Still Blue, he gave us a karate kid kick! All of the stage dancers who were holding up their phones during the first song had put them down by that point and were fully invested in dancing with Murdoch. Their leader that night was a relaxed looking young woman with lavender hair, wearing a B&S t-shirt and cozy, plaid pajama pants.
Night two it was If You’re Feeling Sinister’s turn. This album is considered by many, including Murdoch himself, to be the best “group of songs” the band’s put out. The swaying was a bit more vigorous, and Murdoch’s travels into the crowd felt more rock inspired on the second evening. Just like night one, everybody loved it when the image of the record turning over came on the screen. In his stories about the making of this record, Stuart is nostalgic for the time of “not knowing” and “fucking up” in the early years of the band. Learning a bit more about their refusal to sign with a major label gives layered meaning to this lyric from “Get me Away, I’m Dying:”
“Think of it this way – You could either be successful or be us.”
Perhaps they’re saying, “Be yourself or be famous. You can’t have both.” Thirty years on, Belle and Sebastian seem to have found a balance.
Belle and Sebastian’s renown grew throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. Their devoted local and global fan base have ensured they remain beloved to this day, despite their slowed output. Musically, they are often compared to The Smiths and Velvet Underground. In the Pitchfork-produced documentary about If You’re Feeling Sinister, guitarist Stevie Jackson confirms that they fancied themselves “the Velvet Underground with a trumpet.”
I would describe them as a more well-adjusted version of The Beach Boys, although this is not to say there wasn’t tension. In 2002, founding band member Isobel Campbell – romantically linked to Murdoch – abruptly quit mid-tour. This drama notwithstanding, the creative genius leader, gorgeous two and three part harmonies, multiple instruments, and orchestral pop arrangements make it easy to see why The Beach Boys came to mind, particularly when Jackson joined Murdoch’s vocals on the opening song both nights.
Some critics dismiss the band as “twee,” or as Jack Black characterized them in the film version of High Fidelity, “sad bastard music.” (Something the band joked about onstage). They’ve also been called “soft cock rock” by male critics who might be missing the irony. Murdoch is an admirer of women writ large, and in touch with his feminine side. Many of his songs are about female characters; some are heroines, and many are outcasts and rebels. There is also romance; between songs Murdoch mentions that some are about past relationships. Before launching into “Dylan in the Movies” on night two, he gushed that he “still loves” all of his exes. Belle and Sebastian, all now in middle age and many with spouses and families, are and always have been about the stories. Quoting Stevie Jackson once again, “the song is king!” Genre discussions fade into the background as the trumpet and guitars swell to tell us, one more time, about Judy and her dream of horses.