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A review by yonyorklad
In the All-Night Café: A Memoir of Belle and Sebastian's Formative Year by Stuart David
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Really only enjoyable if you’re a real fan of B&S. That should go without saying, perhaps, but in this case it only covers the early period of the band, their formation and first album.
David’s writing style is simplistic and scarce, anecdotal and light. At times this works in the book’s favour - there’s no excessive details about minor characters. But at times you wonder why what you’re reading is relevant to anyone beyond the writer themselves.
But it’s a strong reminder of why what they did was so different to the scene at the time, and having seen them live only last year, it’s a testament to their willingness to change and develop, discard and move on, that was always there from the start.
David’s writing style is simplistic and scarce, anecdotal and light. At times this works in the book’s favour - there’s no excessive details about minor characters. But at times you wonder why what you’re reading is relevant to anyone beyond the writer themselves.
But it’s a strong reminder of why what they did was so different to the scene at the time, and having seen them live only last year, it’s a testament to their willingness to change and develop, discard and move on, that was always there from the start.