Belle and Sebastian is a British twee pop band formed in Glasgow, January 1996, under the aegis of a training scheme and music business course. Built mostly around the creative mind of Stuart Murdoch, their first album, Tigermilk was recorded as part of the course and released on the independent Electric Honey label. Signing for the (slightly) larger Jeepster Records they released the album If You're Feeling Sinister in 1996 and a sequence of EPs through 1997. Their third album, The Boy with the Arab Strap (1998), was a top 20 hit in the UK, and the same year the band were proclaimed Best Newcomers at the Brit Awards. In July 2002, they announced the switch to Rough Trade Records.

Presenting a slightly fey image to the public at large, Belle and Sebastian's bittersweet love songs inspire a fanatical loyalty amongst their fans, not dissimilar to that experienced by The Smiths during their heyday.

The band's name is taken from Belle et Sebastien, a children's book by French writer Cecile Aubrey about a boy (Sébastien) and his dog (Belle).

Discography:

  • Tigermilk, 1996
  • If You're Feeling Sinister, 1996
  • Dog On Wheels (ep), 1997
  • Lazy Line Painter Jane (ep), 1997
  • 3.. 6.. 9.. Seconds Of Light (ep), 1997
  • The Boy With The Arab Strap, 1998
  • This Is Just A Modern Rock Song, (ep) 1998
  • Lazy Line Painter Jane, 2000
  • Legal Man (single), 2000
  • Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, 2000
  • Jonathan David (single), 2001
  • I'm Waking Up To Us (single), 2001
  • Storytelling, 2002
  • Step into My Office Baby (single), 2003
  • Dear Catastrophe Waitress, 2003

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