Thursday 11/10/07 Guillemots with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra @ Town Hall, Birmingham

From the hundred pound auctioning of their debut EP on ebay, to their 2006 Mercury nomination, Guillemots’ career to date has been one of high peaks and few troughs. In a special event as part of Birmingham Town Hall’s reopening, the band (whose lead singer Fyfe Dangerfield is originally a Brummie himself) join with the CBSO to present a fantastic performance of their own songs, together with the orchestra’s world premiere of classical pieces written especially by Fyfe himself. For fans it’s the culmination of the love affair of the last two years, and for Guillemots themselves, in particular for Fyfe, the culmination of all work together up to this point.

Whether Fyfe would have ever been able, as a classical composer, to write a piece for the CBSO, or indeed any major professional orchestra, without the success of his popular music is debatable but at this moment unimportant. Surely a more expert commentator would have much stronger (and possibly critical) thoughts on the subject, but for the layman the piece itself is intriguing and unpredictable, relying on discord and rapidly changing tempo and mood.

What Fyfe and Guillemots manage to do this evening is show off perfectly their ability to mix pop, classical, and the avant-garde (even if it is only in the realm of pop where they are truly eye-catching and mouth-watering). Performing with classical musicians is usually a signal that a pop band wants to take things to a new place, explore new territory, and maybe shine a new light on some old material. But with Guillemots the move feels so natural that you wonder why they don’t always tour with an orchestra. Being able to hear songs like ‘We’re Here,’ ‘Little Bear,’ and the epic ‘Sao Paolo’ performed live as they were meant to be and as they were on their debut album ‘Through the Windowpane,’ is one of those rare moments in a music fan’s life where you could scarcely imagine an experience being more powerful.

As you’d expect for such a momentous occasion, the band are on top form. Fyfe is sporting a dashing new haircut (frankly it was about time he got rid of that old mane of his) and his vocals are as crackingly emotive and powerful. As always, he’s lovably inept when it comes to talking to the audience, and he appears as a little boy having his grandest wish fulfilled: nervous, eager to please and loving every second. Tonight is the pinnacle of what Gigwise sincerely hopes is only the first stage of Guillemots’ career. Now the waiting begins with eager anticipation for an even brighter future.