Posted on: Sunday, 12 October 2008, 18:00 CDT By LEE GIBSON FEW, if any, bands share the philosophy of Brighton-based British Sea Power. Correct me if I’m wrong, but noone else out there decks out the stage in shrubbery and stuffed owls for their gigs. And I can’t think of anyone penning ditties inspired by subjects as obsucre and diverse as giant sea birds and the late-great grappler Shirley Crabtree, aka Big Daddy.

These guys stubbornly defy categorising, genre-labelling and pigeon-holing like no-one else in rock - and you get the feeling they’re proud of it. And that may be why, despite rave reviews from critics and contemporaries alike, the big arenas and stadiums still elude them some eight years after they formed. For the detractors, it’s just not easy to decide whether these guys are taking themselves far too seriously or monumentally taking the mickey.

Probably the truth is somewhere in between but to spend too much time pondering this point could mean you lose sight of what really matters - they make great music. Confident, brash and stubbornly non-conformist, the BSP sound is undeniably uplifting. Well-crafted anthems like No Lucifer and Waving Flags raised the roof here and really deserve the appreciation of a wider audience. (c) 2008 Sunday Mercury; Birmingham (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.