Returning heroes triumphant at the Ally Pally

This was my first time at the epic venue which is Alexandra Palace and I was not disappointed. With support from Rae Morris and Lianne la Havves, the evening had a solid start but it was the first few songs of Bombay Bicycle Club’s set that really kicked the show into gear.

The set was largely composed of songs from the most recent album and the bands’ debut, with classics such as ‘Open House’ and ‘Dust on the Ground’ mixing well with more recent hits like ‘How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep?’. Only two songs were played from their acoustic folk tinged second album Flaws, which I thought was a shame but they ended up being the highlight of the night for me.

I found that the moments where beautiful songstress Lucy Rose provided backing vocals, especially on ‘Still’ which was perfomed stripped down with only a piano for accompaniment. It was a fragile, heart-breaking moment which was shared by, what seemed to be, the whole of London packed inside the Palace, hushed in reverence.

The song which the whole audience was waiting for, ‘Shuffle’, was played triumphantly during the brief encore. Everyone seized on this song to sway, jump and bounce around to the baggy drums and funky bass riff in a moment of sheer joy.

This show only validated my opinion that Bombay Bicycle Club are ready for bigger stages, even if they themselves told me that they are very unambitious. I heard rumours circulating that they could headline Reading and Leeds next year, and at first I could not picture it, but after that accomplished performance, such feats seem inevitable to me.