I reckon when you can quite literally silence the entire crowd of an arena with random chat, well that’s when you know you’ve made it into rock royalty. And Elbow have made it. Not that they needed me to affirm that of course. The millions of albums, the massive tours, and after two years out of town the ability to get a crowd of beery Mancs to stop talking is proof itself.
The tour is supporting current album The Take Off And Landing Of Everything, an already cemented Elbow classic. Full of standards regarding life, love, the wonder of the city, the tracks created new highlights in a set full of what I can imagine to be live staples. They opened with the deliciously ballsy Charge; full of a bit of drunken arrogance and a driving groove, my personal favourite from the new material. Of course, lead single New York Morning was gorgeous, but a hidden album gem My Sad Captains proved to be an awesome brass filled anthemic moment.
As a whole, the set list really was perfectly balanced. They didn’t let hit-maker album The Seldom Seen Kid or the current album saturate proceedings. Early tracks such as Great Expectations popped up, along with some absolute tunes from in-betweeny record Build A Rocket Boys!. The chorus of the same title on Lippy Kids was exalted from us in the audience, and a tender rendition of The Night Will Always Win was sung in honour of recently passed friend of the band Steve Lloyd. But of course, Starlings, Mirrorball, Grounds For Divorce and the mind blowing One Day Like This were just utterly beyond words in terms of amazing and moving – the latter reducing me to a wee sob from the opening chords.
This level of musical epicness is achieved in two elements really – many of the songs have now welded into the general pop music conscious as ‘classics’, but how to lift them to the next level to stop it becoming mindless karaoke? The first is the sheer musicianship of the group. From behind the kit Richard Jupp provides a steady beating heart around which the soulful blues weeping (and sometimes squealing) from Mark Potter’s guitar and Pete Turner’s bass, and the twinkling euphoria of Craig Potter’s keys are built. And the inclusion of brass and strings is an inspired choice; the wee ensemble impact a sound brimming with timelessness, the musical arrangements of classics. Close your eyes while listening to the music and you’re carried off into a darkly beautiful world bought to life with Garvey’s poetry…
…Aah Guy Garvey, the second and equally if not more important element. He looks and sounds like your mate in the pub, all ale and smokes, chats about the daily grind and full of loving laughter. He wonders comfortably around the stage never looking like the arrogant frontman – rather the opposite, as if you’d be welcome to pop up and chill with him on a song. Equally as comfortable and as eloquent talking about love and politics as he is organising a multi-Mexican wave or a chorus of ‘oggy oggy oggy’ between top tiers. When inciting audience led harmonies he cheekily encourages his hometown crowd to be better than Birmingham or Glasgow, and my how we respond! He asks if you’re ok after each song, and thanks the crowd for every cheer so genuinely. Only when trying to sing along live do you truly get how lyrically complex the songs are – this may sound stupid but I had no idea how many lengthy lyrics had been irrepressibly etched into my psyche because of his hearty, effortless delivery.
This home coming gig for Elbow felt emotionally joyous. It’s no secret that it took them a long time and a lot of graft to be catapulted into the higher musical echelons. And here in their sold out hometown gig, surrounded by fans, friends and family there was a serious amount of love in the room. I love them for many many reasons. They are comfortably self-assured in the music they make, crafting perfect song after perfect song in a way seldom seen since those stalwart bands of the 70’s. Even in the darkest of tracks there’s always a hint of sunshine on the horizon, a hint of wry smile and an ‘ah it’ll be alright’. Being at an Elbow gig gives you that sense of community in music and in life – something that Garvey talks to the crowd about and is valued equally by both parties. And seriously, hanging off his every word in in complete quiet. To do that in Manchester you are special. The biggest and best British band in the world right now? I’d back that horse.
Kate Tittley
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