Belle & Sebastian dial up World Cup fever with ‘It Only Takes One Lion’, their bid for Scotland’s tournament anthem.
Written following Scotland’s 4-2 qualifying win against Denmark and premiered at London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of the band’s triumphant anniversary world tour for their classic first two albums Tigermilk and If You’re Feeling Sinister, ‘It Only Takes One Lion’ moves from hopeful hymn to uptempo, string-laden disco pop, capturing the giddy expectancy of the games with the band’s signature wit and flair.
Speaking of the song, Murdoch said: “It’s a personal song about following the travails of Scotland’s national team for the last 50 years and it came out naturally the day after the game against Denmark. The song tries to encompass the experience of the whole country following Scotland.”
Watch the video BELOW. The song was produced by and co-written with Pete Ferguson.
Belle and Sebastian continue their worldwide tour celebrating 30 years of Tigermilk and If You’re Feeling Sinister this spring and summer, performing the iconic albums in full during a series of two-night stands at classic venues across Europe, North America, Mexico, Australia, Singapore and Japan. A full live itinerary is below.
Stuart Murdoch released his debut novel, Nobody’s Empire, in 2024, which the Guardian praised as, “Radiantly written”. In 2023, Belle and Sebastian released Late Developers, the second of two back-to-back albums following 2022’s A Bit of Previous. It is a full-hearted embrace of the band’s brightest tendencies that is not only fresh and immediate, but possessing that B&S je ne sais quoi. “Like If You’re Feeling Sinister, this is a near-simultaneous follow-up that’s somehow even better than its acclaimed predecessor,” wrote Pitchfork.
TOUR DATES
Jun 2 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater
Jun 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
Jun 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
Jun 8 – Big Sur, CA @ Henry Miller Memorial Library
Jun 9 – Big Sur, CA @ Henry Miller Memorial Library
Jun 10 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
Jun 11 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
Jun 13 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
Jun 14 – Seattle, WA @ Woodland Park Zoo
Jun 20 – Dundee, UK @ Caird Hall – If You’re Feeling Sinister
Jun 21 – Halifax, UK @ The Piece Hall – If You’re Feeling Sinister w/ guests Saint Etienne
Jun 26 – Glasgow, UK @ Kelvingrove Bandstand
Jun 27 – Glasgow, UK @ Kelvingrove Bandstand
Jun 28 – Aldermaston, UK @ The Mount At Wasing
Jul 10 – Bilbao, ES @ Bilbao BBK Live
Jul 12 – Novegro-Tregarezzo, IT @ Parco Esposizioni Novegro
Jul 13 – Bologna, IT @ Sequoie Music Park – Parco Caserme Rosse
Jul 16 – Madrid, ES @ Noches del Botánico
Jul 17 – Barcelona, ES @ BARTS festival
Jul 18 – Valencia, ES @ FAR 2026
Jul 19 – Murcia, ES @ Sala Mamba!
Jul 21 – Lisboa, PT @ Coliseu dos Recreios
Jul 31 – Margate, UK @ Dreamland
Aug 6 – North Berwick, UK @ Big Top, Fringe by The Sea
Sep 12 – St Kilda, AU @ Palais Theatre
Sep 13 – Newtown, AU @ Enmore Theatre
Sep 15 – Brisbane, AU @ The Fortitude Music Hall
Sep 17 – Perth, AU @ The Astor Theatre
Sep 18 – Perth, AU @ The Astor Theatre
Sep 20 – Singapore, SG @ Esplanade Concert Hall
Sep 22 – Osaka, JP @ BIGCAT
Sep 24 – Tokyo, JP @ Kanadevia Hall
Sep 25 – Tokyo, JP @ Kanadevia Hall
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