Elbow – Birmingham Academy 10/04/08

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Bands that have been around for some time often say they’re going to mix things up a little. Elbow have put pretty much everything in the mixing bowl and the end result is a production of some delicious sound. That, with a pinch of front man Guy Garvey thrown in for good measure, left the Academy crowd salivating for more.

A band with some clear potential to fulfil their hype, Two Gallants opened the evening with a meaningful-folk sound and a voice that holds a Rod Stewart twang with an American ring to it. The band, as the name suggests, has only two members; Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel. Both stick to their steel guitar and drums throughout, both talented vocally and lyrically, but seeming to lack some vivacity for a larger venue than their sound suits. The eight-piece band that followed amplified the difference.

The blending of musicians (Garvey, Potter, Potter, Turner and Jupp) and instruments alike began from the grand entrance. A whirlwind of trumpets rang out from all sides of the stage, backed by a three-piece string section providing a dramatic edge to the mood. The lighting created the mystical setting that complemented the first half of the show in performer and performance alike. Opening tracks; ‘Starling’, ‘Bones’ and ‘Leaders of the Free World’ are all pieces of music that give an all round sound, clearly rooted in Garvey’s performance and producing, setting a high bar for the rest of the set.

Elbow are a band that, with albums gone by, seem to have created a hardcore following but have yet to breach the general public’s radio controlled walls. New album The Seldom Seen Kid, however has the possibilities to crack through the barriers, as it brings some open directions to the table, providing a variation of songs. By the crowd of faithful present, the change of mood could be seen in age and involvement of their following.

The set had a calm before the storm, with ‘Fugitive Model’ in particular taking the zest out of the early energy. It was a reversion to the sombre stereotypes that Elbow carry from their previously more successful singles.

Within the strumming of a few chords, the mood was changed yet again and the taste for involvement seemed to become irresistible for everyone, as Garvey’s genuine love for performing, half way through a tour, shone. He isn’t your standard rock star, but what he lacks in boyish looks is certainly made up for in humour and performer qualities. His questionnaire on who had bought the album and who had obtained it free of charge by some illegal means received a pretty equal voting. His conclusion: “In a few years live shows will be the only way of making any money”. If that were to become the case, Elbow would be rolling in it.

The picking up of the beat started again with current single ‘Grounds For Divorce’ and carried on into the final song of the set ‘One Day Like This’. Again Garvey reined the crowd in, with the venue taking off in the singing along to the extro lines- “So throw those curtains wide! One day like this a year’d see me right!” The bellow for the encore came, but disappointingly the final two tracks lacked the temptation of true involvement seen a few minutes earlier.

Garvey’s suggestion that the tour was a brilliant preheating for the festivals, hit the nail on the head. With the album’s reignited potential and live showmanship at its peak, the true impact that Elbow’s music deserves to make should be fulfilled this summer. But practice makes perfect and a tweak here or there in the method would make it a mouth-watering summer feast.

Set List
Starlings
Bones
Leaders of the Free World
Great Expectations
Fugitive Motel
Mirror Ball
Red
Grounds for Divorce
Forget Myself
Tower Crane
The Stops
New Born
One Day Like This
Stations Approach
Grace Under Pressure