Shock horror ! B&S more political than the Manics ?

Belle and Sebastian have debuted new songs and bizarre cover versions when, on April 6th, the played their first live show since headlining at the first ever festival at Camber Sands. Belle and Sebastian played at the 'Nice & Sleazy' club in Glasgow to 100 people who snapped up their tickets before the show was even announced to the press. The show, also featuring Teenage Fanclub, Future Pilot AKA and the Ducks, was in aid of the Scottish Socialist Party and their member Arlene Nunnery who is to contest the Glasgow-South constituency at the forthcoming general election.

During the gig the band played a handful of brand new songs and also, strangely, covered Glen Campbell's 'Rhinestone Cowboy', 'Pretty Vacant' by the Sex Pistols and The Zombies' 'Time of the Season'. They closed the set with a version of the Pink Panther theme and were joined on stage by a seven foot Pink Panther.

From the stage Stevie Jackson condemned the corruption of modern-politics saying that, unfortunately for them, "the Scottish Socialist Party are not innundated with 1 million pound gifts or bribes ." After the show, the band's frontman Stuart Murdoch condemned the Manic Street Preachers :" It's important that some people will directly support political parties like the SSP. I don't see the Manics doing anything like this. "

Murdoch then promised that the band planned to tour between now and the end of the year though, one suspects, Havanna will not be on the port of call.