Back in November 2013 I saw one of the best gigs I have ever experienced when London indie band Bombay Bicycle Club came to The Set Theatre in Kilkenny. Over the course of an hour, I was totally blown away by the energy and musicianship on show as the four-piece worked through a stunning setlist of songs that would earn them a standing ovation at it’s conclusion. Having been a band who I loved prior to this show, they quickly became one of my all time favourites.

However, 2016 brought very disappointing news for the fans of the band as the members decided to take a break to pursue their own projects away from Bombay Bicycle Club. Front man Jack Steadman would start releasing music under the name Mr Jukes, and would even release an album in 2017, while bassist Ed Nash would start releasing under the name Toothless. It seemed like it would be a while before we would get to see the four-piece making music again, until last year when news came that the band were back creating and an album was on the way.

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Hello, With a new year ahead of us, we thought now would be a good moment to give you a bit of news about what the four of us have been up to recently and what we have planned. Since late last year we’ve been getting back into the swing of playing music together. We were initially a little rusty but also nostalgic playing songs that have been around since we were teenagers. More than anything it just felt great to be in the same room playing again. It made us realise what a good thing we have and has given us renewed energy and enthusiasm for the future. The joy we were getting out of playing the old songs seemed to naturally lead us onto working on new material, so we’re becoming immersed in that as we speak. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we have something new for you guys to hear. We’re also planning some shows for later this year and beyond. We’ll have news on that front over the coming months. Can’t wait to see you all. We’ve missed you. Jack, Ed, Jamie, Suren x

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Last Monday in Vicar Street in Dublin, Bombay Bicycle Club played the first of two nights in the city to commemorate the release of their most recent album, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong. It was immediately clear when you got to the venue that this was one those nights where both band and audience were going to be in sync from start to finish, and so it transpired as Bombay Bicycle Club went on to perform a show that will feature in my highlights of 2020.

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Bombay Bicycle Club // 10.02.20 🚲

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It’s so easy to forget just how many great songs the band have. Having formed ten years ago, they have build up a tremendous discography of quality, and across the night songs from every era of the band would be heard. Again, it was easy to see that this was a band who had always tried to keep their sound from growing stale with the contrast between old and new songs keeping the show fresh and a bit special. Audience favourites like Lights Out, Words Gone, Always Like This, Luna, and Overdone, were beautifully slotted in between songs off the new record like Is It Real and Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)…

In short, they were phenomenal. Bombay Bicycle Club are a band that are very close to the hearts of their fans and there was a strong sense of people embracing the nostalgic memories that accompany these songs – as I was transported back to 2011/2012 when I first became aware of them in final year in University College Cork. Good times.

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Bombay? Bicycle Club Hotel? Trivago

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Support on the night came from London based four-piece, The Big Moon, who treated those in attendance to an energetic and irresistible display of indie rock that served as the perfect warm up for what was to come. Fresh from releasing their second studio album back in January, Walking Like We Do, it is clear that there is still a lot to come from the band and I look forward to hearing it.

And from Warwickshire singer/songwriter and tour musician with Bombay Bicycle Club, Liz Lawrence.

It’s great to have them back.

MK