Belle and Sebastian at the 3Olympia Theatre (Photos)

Across two sold-out nights the acclaimed Glasgow outfit celebrated the 30th anniversary of their first two albums ‘Tigermilk’ (night 1) and ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’ (night 2). With such jangly chamber pop tunes as ‘The State I Am In’ and ‘I Could Be Dreaming’ they quickly established themselves as the antithesis of the boorish landfill Britpop that was so prevalent in 1996. Three decades on their live airings only show how well such material has aged. Playing an obscure 1998 B-Side at the behest of a fan in the crowd may not be for the fainthearted, but with ‘Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie’ Stuart Murdoch & co. pull it off with aplomb whilst displaying the unique connection they have with their audience. Having upped the anti with ‘Dirty Dream Number Two’ and ‘Another Sunny Day’, fan favourite ‘The Boy with The Arab Strap’ prompted the most polite stage invasion in history. Performing their first Dublin set in over 40 years (last seen supporting The Smiths in The National Stadium) London’s post-punk Velvets devotees The June Brides were special guests for both nights.