Having become used to playing in caves and forts and recording in barns, British Sea Power didn’t let the constraints of a city venue dilute their obsession with nature.
Surrounded by a stage set of branches, fake owls and video scenes of wildlife, the band returned to their south coast base to rouse the crowd of adoring fans at the Corn Exchange on Thursday.
British Sea Power bring meaning to high-powered rock music, complimenting the wonder of the natural world with heart-wrenching guitar solos and delicate melodies. Their stunningly sympathetic lyrics – best demonstrated in their ode to a fallen ice shelf, Oh Larsen B – become ever more vivid when the group play live.
The accomplished Brighton-based band on occasion let pictures tell the story for them, providing a stirring soundtrack to projected scenes of sea life, birds in flight and the disintegration of polar ice caps.
But even without the back drop of natural beauty, the band commanded consuming awe with their screaming guitar battles, lingering violin notes and volatile brass moments, all held together by masterful drumming.
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