British Sea Power, Roundhouse, London.

First an apology. Usually, when I go to gigs with an intent to review, I think like a journalist: take a notebook, look for a story, monitor the crowd’s reaction. Last Friday, watching British Sea Power at the Roundhouse in Camden, I was totally incapable. I was absolutely swamped by ecstatic, shining love. They made me feel recklessly joyful – if it were possible I would have thrown my soul into the air, just to see the colours as it caught the light. All I could do was stare at the stage, overwhelmed, feeling that all-encompassing tug, that nearly umbilical connection to the stage, that you get watching a great, great band. It felt like being a teenager again.

Gushing over (although they were amaaaaaazing.) The Roundhouse really suited the band, especially in this incarnation. Do You Like Rock Music? the album they’re currently touring, is epic in sound – British Sea Power are pretty much England’s Sigur Ros and Do You Like… is their Takk. The sound filled the space, vibrating around the rafters. The London Bulgarian Choir, up on the balcony and backlit, were the perfect augmentation. The sense of space worked just as well on older tracks like “A Wooden Horse” and “Lately.”

BSP have always had a well-deserved reputation as a great live band, but last Friday it felt as though something further had clicked into place. Powerful and magical.