Elbow - Live 19th October Carling Academy, Glasgow
Feat. Jesca Hoop October 20, 2008, 01:17 PM Views: 532
Comments: 0
 Sunday is for drinking with the Seldom Seen Kid indeed and not a nicer band could you wish to spent the evening in the company of and sink a few cold ones. Elbow are currently riding the crest of a wave with the Mercury Award winning 'The Seldom Seen Kid' and it's no more than they deserve as no band has been as consistently brilliant as Elbow continue to be. And so to tonight's gig.
The room erupts in cheers as Guy Garvey walks onstage to introduce the warm-up he admits that due to being 'a tight bastard' they couldn't afford to pay for a backing band so we'll be getting a solo acoustic performance tonight so all keep quiet and embrace Jesca Hoop. Miss Hoop arrives suitably dressed for this bloody freezing Scottish weather in a huge polar bear hat looking and sounding kind of like Katie Melua now hold on it's not as bad as it sounds. Admitedly her songs could do with a band to bring them fully to life but she holds her own well tonight on songs like 'Enemy' and 'Seed Of Wonder' but it's the Garvey duet 'Murder Of Birds' that really shines. A wonderful little set to get everyone in the mood, not that we all weren't there already.
The opening plinks of 'Starlings' heralds the arrival of Elbow which is interspersed with the deafening bursts of trumpet provided by all the band members, Garvey asks after our welfare and the crowd respond in kind. 'Bones Of You' follows suit with it's shuffling intro and astounding lyrics 'a man of my calibre stood in the street like a sleep-walking teenager' the song bursts into life at it's end bringing the crowd fully to life.
To throw away a song such as 'Leaders Of The Free World' merely three songs into the set shows the confidence within the Elbow camp, it's chorus bellowed by the full-house packed into the sauna-like Academy tonight. The pace is slowed for 'Mirrorball' and 'The Stops' but these songs hold a certain majesty and you take to them just as much as any of the sing-alongs, there is musical beauty in the air tonight.
After slowing down what better way to pick-up then to unleash the Zeppelin riffs of 'Grounds For Divorce' Garvey battering away on his lead pipe that for once you can actually hear. 'Forget Myself' motors along and really gets the crowd whipped up into a frenzy, everyone singing along not missing a word with Garvey intently staring the crowd out intoning 'no i know i won't forget you, but i forget myself' like this night will be etched in his mind forever. 'Seldom Seen Kid's centre piece 'The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver' is equally as masterful live as on record if not more so it's stop start motif working to great effect.
First ever release 'Newborn' is possibly the best thing they've ever done in my eyes and tonight Garvey sits alone acousticly playing before the band join for the cacophonous building outro that just spits some truly wonderful lyrics at you this song never fails to make the hairs stand-up for me, i could listen to it all day long. 'Great Expectations' follows with a hushed, bunched together Elbow ordering drinks from the bar before telling a rude joke and then plunging quietly into 'Weather To Fly' which again for the umpteenth time tonight has the crowd belting along with them.
I guess the night was building up to this moment, the moment when everyone even the bar staff will no doubt join in and everyone can link arms and be as one. Of course i'm talking about 'One Day Like This' it's the sort of song Elbow do to perfection and that i doubt any other band can match, remember 'Grace Under Pressure' well this is like it's bigger, better, more mature brother. You cannot fail to feel lifted by this song and if you don't well i'd check your body for feelings to make sure you've got some, altogether now 'throw those curtains wide, one day like this a year will see me right'.
Before returning for an encore Garvey asks us all to sing 'We Are Sailing' in order to usher them back out and of course we duly oblige singing it better then Rod ever could, and of course Elbow return seemingly astounded at our rendition. So we get a heartfelt 'Some Riots' and a resounding 'Station Approach' before i'm retreating from the heat to bask in the glory and the fresh air as the strains of 'Scattered Black & Whites' plays us out.
Elbow are without doubt one of the best live experiences i've had it's hard to put into words how you feel coming out of a gig like that and on my birthday no less so it was a really special occasion for me, i couldn't have asked for anything better.
Last edited by mark191082 : October 20, 2008 at 01:18 PM.
Reason: i can't spell sometimes.
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| | | | Overall Rating | | 9 | | Vocals / Lyrics | | 9 | | Musicianship | | 9 | | Production | | 9 | | Creativity | | 9 | | Lastability | | 9 | | Reviewers Tilt | | 9 |
90% | |
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