Bombay Bicycle Club is a very unique—and uniquely complex—pop group. A series of three albums over as many years, supplemented by a handful of singles and EPs, brought BBC a slow rumble of appreciation in its native England. By rights, the band’s fourth album ought to be the one that brings it the recognition that’s so far eluded it in the U.S., because So Long, See You Tomorrow (Vagrant) is, even on first listen, an LP that announces a sea change in a group’s approach, in the vein of Revolver or Pet Sounds. That’s high praise, but So Long is, among other things, the most sonically complex of all the band’s records. BBC—guitarist/vocalist Jack Steadman, guitarist Jamie MacColl, drummer Suren de Saram and bassist Ed Nash—will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on the band.
de Saram: The sport, not the fruit. Ed and I decided to take up squash last year as a way of keeping fit while not on tour (you should see the workout routines Ed and Jamie do whilst on tour. It’s a sight to behold.) So we each bought a cheap racket, a couple of balls and booked a session at Ed’s local courts. Unfortunately, these courts had a see-through back wall and a viewing gallery, meaning we had a group of keen players watching us while we played for the very first time. This made us feel extremely self-conscious and meant we were unable to express ourselves to our creative limit. It didn’t help that we didn’t really know the rules either. These observers were probably hoping to pick up some tips, while all we were giving them was a comedy show. We left feeling downhearted but also determined to not let this experience ruin our love affair with the game of squash. After a quick internet search, we found some other local courts which we decided to try out. Luckily these were more private. We had found a safe haven where our talents could flourish. Regular games, combined with some reading in between so we actually began to understand the rules, meant we gradually became more and more accomplished squash players. We were building up quite the rivalry (think Agassi/Sampras, Federer/Nadal; I don’t know any squash players, sorry). Unfortunately, it also gradually became evident that squash was harming my knee. Some of the sessions were so intense that I was unable to walk up stairs afterwards, let alone play drums. For this reason, I had to retire. Yet another sad case of a sportsman cut down in his prime. Ed’s squash career continues to flourish, however.
Video after the jump.
