Belle & Sebastian

Fact Sheet

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Belle & Sebastian is a Scottish twee pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996 under the aegis of a training scheme and music business course. Built mostly around the creative mind of Stuart Murdoch, their first album, Tigermilk, was recorded as part of the course and released on the independent Electric Honey label.

Signing for the slightly larger Jeepster Records they released the album If You're Feeling Sinister in 1996 and a sequence of EPs through 1997. Their third album, The Boy with the Arab Strap (1998), was a top-20 hit in the UK, and the same year the band were proclaimed Best Newcomers at the Brit Awards.

In July 2002 they announced the switch to Rough Trade Records. In the summer of 2003 they had their first mainstream hit in the United States with "Step Into My Office, Baby". The album Dear Catastrophe Waitress was shortlisted for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize.

Presenting a slightly fey image to the public at large, Belle and Sebastian's bittersweet love songs inspire a fanatical loyalty amongst their fans, similar to that experienced by The Smiths during their heyday. Some of this loyalty is due to the fact that until 2003 the band did not include singles on their albums. Thus, being in possession of their complete discography is a mark of true devotion.

The band's name is taken from Belle et Sébastien, a children's book by French writer Cécile Aubry about a boy (Sébastien) and his dog (Belle), on which was based a 1965 French live action tv series and later a 1981 Japanese anime (see below).

The current members of the band are Stuart Murdoch (vocals, guitar and keyboards), Stevie Jackson (vocals and guitar), Chris Geddes (keyboards), Sarah Martin (violin and vocals), Mick Cooke (trumpet and bass), Bobby Kildea (guitar and bass) and Richard Colburn (drums). Past members include Isobel Campbell (vocals and cello) and Stuart David (bass).

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