Words
John Bownas
Pictures
Sara-Louise Bowrey
4 October 2026
Starsailor’s ‘Love is Here’ 25 anniversary tour hit Bexill with the full string ensemble that has been the hallmark of this silver jubilee celebration of their platinum-selling debut long player.
Treading on the coat-tails of Brit-Pop Starsailor etched a firm place in the history of pop with their melancholic slant on songwriting, and their arrangements find a perfect foil in the accompaniment provided by Joe Duddell’s string section.
Having previously worked with both James and Elbow, Dudell neatly straddles the worlds of classical and popular music.
Songs that had previously been simply immersive became exceptionally so.
The audience were on the edges of their seats for the duration of the show. The sparse but eloquent juxtaposition of indie-pop classics with baroque string backing was a beautiful thing to behold, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
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