18th September
4 stars
This show was tagged ‘The Final Farewell’, being Elbow’s last gig for the next two-and-a-half years as the band take a well earned, and presumably long overdue, break from touring in order to pursue much-anticipated recording projects. However, perhaps an equally apt moniker for the show would have been ‘The Final Homecoming’.
Although many fans were no doubt sad that this would be their last chance to see the group in the near future, the mood inside the cavernous MEN Arena was more on
Elbow
e of celebration: it’s been two years since Mercury Award-winning album The Seldom Seen Kid turned the shy quintet from Bury into a household name, and since then the band have been on the road almost constantly, performing 144 shows which have taken the band as far as Canada.
Choice of opening and closing songs notwithstanding (‘Starlings’ and ‘One Day Like This’ respectively) nothing about the night was predictable, and it is credit to Elbow’s strong back catalogue of material that they were able to carefully select a diverse mix of songs that span the whole of their 12-year career.
Throughout the set the band called on support from a classical string quartet, a brass section, backing vocalists and even one Mr Richard Hawley (making a guest appearance on duet ‘The Fix’) to supplement their illustrious sound. The band even managed to break a world record in the process: 2,700 seats were reserved for the Elbow Choir – a group of fans-cum-volunteers, and the largest choir ever assembled – which led the audience in a sing-along frenzy on ‘Weather To Fly’ amongst others.
Later, on beefed up performances of ‘Grounds For Divorce’ and ‘Leaders of the Free World’, the bands’ PA was cranked right up to 11 and frontman Guy Garvey’s rock sensibilities were exposed, with the occasional but perfectly executed guitar solo proving that, if nothing else, the man can shred. Equally impressive was Garvey’s between-song banter, which injected some northern wit into the evening and helped maintain the audience’s interest during the less animated parts of the set.
Despite the candid lyrics, which cover wide-ranging themes love, loss and bacon sarnies (The Koffee Pot on Stevenson Square is name checked as Garvey’s favourite place for breakfast), it is difficult to believe that these songs would have had as much reach or more significance than here, tonight, sung before a sold-out crowd of 22,000 fans in the band’s home town.
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