Belle & Sebastian – July 17, 2026 (Barts Festival 2026 – Poble Espanyol, Barcelona)

On a sweltering summer night, in the midst of an endless heatwave, Stuart Murdoch and company arrived at Barcelona’s Poble Espanyol to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the exceptional If you’re feeling sinister (1996) “Welcome to the second recording by this new band called Belle & Sebastian” announced their singer, Stuart Murdoch. “The stars of track & field” began to play and, propelled by the song’s opening notes, the gathered crowd was instantly transported back to 1996—without the need for a DeLorean or a Tardis.

Belle & Sebastian, Barts Festival Barcelona 2026 – Photo taken by Meritxell Rosell fo Indieofilo^©

During the first part of the show, the Scots worked their way through the album song by song, in the order in which it was conceived. The band appeared completely committed, giving the songs a sense of vibrancy and warmth, further enhanced by video projections behind them that reinforced the lyrics. . “Seeing other people“, “Me and the major“, “Like Dylan in the movies” … If you have a setlist like that in front of you and nail it live, what more could you ask for?

Stuart Murdoch from Belle & Sebastian, Barts Festival Barcelona 2026 – Photo taken by Meritxell Rosell for Indieofilo^©

After that opening quartet, “The Fox in the Snow” arrived to slow the pace a little and make the audience even more tender-hearted. But the respite did not last long: “Get Me Away from Here, I’m Dying“, “If You’re Feeling Sinister” and “Mayfly” soon picked up the pace again, keeping listeners inside the time capsule. Every now and then, Stuart offered a few comments to maintain a connection with the present, talking about the band’s first concerts in the city and telling the audience that he could see them better looking now that they had grown older—still in love, although perhaps loving different people from those they loved the first time they heard the record.

Belle & Sebastian, Barts Festival Barcelona 2026 – Photo taken by Meritxell Rosell fo Indieofilo^©

With the penultimate track, “The boy done wrong again” came another moment of calm before the album—and the first part of the concert—came to a spectacular close with “Judy and the dream of horses“, trumpet blazing and Stuart dancing in a horse mask. After a brief break, the band returned to the stage for the second half of the concert, which consisted of a compendium of greatest hits. Curiously, taken as a whole, it never quite achieved the same sense of completeness as the first part, although it still featured some truly memorable moments, such as the opening rendition of “Another Sunny Day“.

Stevie Jackson offBelle & Sebastian, Barts Festival Barcelona 2026 – Photo taken by Meritxell Rosell for Indieofilo^©

Guitarist Stevie Jackson took over lead vocals on “Chickfactor“, later becoming the target of a joke from Stuart based on the Rolling Stones song: (“I can’t get no, Stevie Jackson“). The musical journey even included a kind of cut-and-paste medley, moving within the same song from the soul inflections of “If She Wants Me” to the groove of “Sukie in the Graveyard“, before concluding with the strings of “Woman’s Realm“.

Belle & Sebastian, Barts Festival Barcelona 2026 – Photo taken by Meritxell Rosell fo Indieofilo^©

As they entered the final stretch, the immeasurable “The boy with the arab strap” arrived, the stage flooded with dancing fans—including the band members themselves. Stuart stretched out the ending far beyond what was necessary, perhaps to the delight of the new companions dancing around him, though not quite as much to the delight of those who had remained down below. . There was still time to close with two great songs: “I want the world to stop” and, finally, “Sleep the clock around“. The latter left the audience with a wistful smile as they slowly made their way out of the venue, returning from a wonderful journey into the past.