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, the song draws from collective fan experience and frontman Stuart Murdoch’s own lifelong following of the team. Moving from hopeful hymn to uptempo, string-laden disco pop, ‘It Only Takes One Lion’ captures the giddy expectancy of the games with the band’s signature wit and flair.
Speaking of the song, Murdoch told Glasgow Herald: “Ours is certainly not an official team effort. It’s actually quite a personal song about following the travails of the Scotland 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. What matters is that we are there. We are there for the party and so long as everybody gives their best that’s it really.”
Belle and Sebastian – ‘It Only Takes One Lion’ (Official Music Video)
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.
Of the UK leg of the tour, The Times said, “a jubilant, five-star 30th birthday gig (…) this enchanting band have somehow cast their spell over a new generation”. The Guardian wrote, “Stuart Murdoch and co wittily reanimate their world of aesthetes and misfits”.
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.
Belle and Sebastian
