Wiretap: Belle and Sebastian

What better way to celebrate rugged American independence than with a twee Scottish band? For OperatorNYC and 699 of his closest hipsters, there was no place better than in Battery Park watching Belle and Sebastian play. The free show marked the tenth anniverary of concerts by the River to River Festival.

The fantastic Martha (sister of Rufus) Wainwright opened, but had to cut her set short due to the threat of rain. Rain did come, but the audience held out and after the shower passed B&S put on a stunning show, mixing old favorites with cuts off their new album The Life Pursuit. They played a long set with lots of quips and crowd interraction, ending the show in the glow of a gorgeous New York summer afternoon. They encored with The Boy with the Arab Strap (preceeded by Stevie Jackson playing a Hendrix-style Star Spangled Banner).


Brooklyn Vegan has a recap of the show, the Music Slut has the set list.
[photo source]