Sunday 20 September 2009

A night to remember: Elbow's triumphant homecoming


"Throw those curtains wide, one day like this a year'd see me right..."
- On a Day Like This, Elbow

The closing moments of Elbow’s triumphant homecoming show at Manchester’s M.E.N. arena, their largest in the city that they so charmingly often apply as their muse, provided a wonderful sense of closure. As the crowd made their way out of the venue, their feet wading through the confetti euphorically fired from cannons during the set closer On a Day Like This, a curious graphic was displayed on the screen behind the stage. The lid of a cube, as seen on the cover of The Seldom Seen Kid opened and invited in a cloud of starlings, surely the same as those which supply that very album’s opener with such a tender metaphor, before sealing them inside. The image could not have been clearer in it’s meaning given Guy Garvey’s earlier statement that the band may not been seen live again for up to two years while they work on a new album. Put simply, Elbow’s return to the city that they love and the city that loves them equally in return is the last in a long line of shows in support of their Mercury music prize winning album (144, to be specific) and indeed, the end of an era.

It was fitting on such a night when the sense of occasion was so palpable that the Manchester quintet’s opening three songs played in the same order as on the album that has propelled them to such dizzy new heights of critical and commercial success. With the dreamlike guitar and piano that signaled the beginning of Mirrorball many of the crowd will be forgiven for thinking that they would be treated to a start-to-finish rendition of The Seldom Seen Kid, as with their previous recording for the BBC at Abbey Road studios earlier this year. But tonight was reserved for a more traditional set list, one which served to highlight the extraordinary career of a band that has so often in the past been overlooked and underappreciated. And rightly so, for there are few who understand that Elbow have written and recorded consistently brilliant music across all four of their albums rather than just the one that delivered them such elevated media attention better than those in the crowd before them.

It is testament to Guy Garvey’s ability as a frontman that he both commanded the stage with such confidence as well as exuding a charismatic warmth that seemed to make everyone in attendance feel welcome; no small feat when considering the size of the venue. The band as a whole have been well versed in playing to large audiences, having made various appearances on the festival circuit over the years, but rather than providing the feeling of awe that can often accompany viewing a show in such an open space the band succeeded in crafting an intimate atmosphere more in keeping with the humbleness that Garvey himself seems to display as a person. His banter in between songs, often anecdotal and insightful, was full of humour and praise for those that have had a hand in helping the band achieve what for so long looked like it may never come. One memorable remark came as Garvey discovered that his band mate had had his flies undone prior to a stripped down version of Weather to Fly which saw the band huddled in a tight group on the stage: “biggest gig we’ve done and you’re selling hotdogs!” Another came as Garvey fumbled the opening riff to Mexican Standoff, quickly righting his wrong with a deadpanned “it’ll be alright, there’s not many in.”

Indeed it was also a night for breaking records. The eagle-eyed among the audience will have spotted in the tiers flanking either side of the stage, a section of the crowd all dressed in white, before the band even stepped foot on the stage that they so convincingly made their own throughout the course of the night. Shortly before the unassuming acoustic intro of The Stops, Garvey introduced the as-yet unnamed contingent of the audience as the Elbow choir – proudly announcing that the 2,700 strong assembly will be recognised as the largest choir in history by the Guinness book of records. Taking duty on a number of songs, also including the anthemic Grounds for Divorce, the audible effect of the added vocals was, in honesty, lost around the entire arena but the theatrics were certainly not. Those placed closer to the front must have been treated to the most extraordinary experience whilst those at the back and in the gods will hardly be heard complaining.

To pick a highlight of the show would be difficult for many fans. More appropriate, for me at least, would be to pick the show as a highlight amongst the many that I have seen. Nevertheless, certain moments did serve to thrill; a rendition of the superbly cinematic The Fix, in which the band were joined onstage by their collaborator Richard Hawley (“can we get a move on? I’ve got a bus to catch”, he quipped). The hazy euphoria of The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver, with its sweeping strings and languid vocals, arguably translates better as a live song than it does on the album. Live favourites Forget Myself and Station Approach, the latter part of a series of encores spurred on by the crowd singing All You Need is Love as requested by the band, proved memorable as did the climax of Newborn. In truth, however, it was the final song of the night On a Day Like This that really illustrated the bands ability to whip up an emotional frenzy. With it’s timeless string motifs and salt-of-the-earth lyrics, the song means much more than the sum of it’s parts and to have seen it performed as flawlessly as it was on this night is a memory that will endure.

Never has the appeal of this band been clearer as when they made their way from the stage, wading through the adulation of their truest fans every bit as much as those same fans waded through the confetti. Elbow make beautiful, heartwarming music, music that will always find an audience that is indifferent to the fickle attitudes of the media and the mainstream. This audience in particular will await the return of their heroes, a return that will see them stripped of their underdog status and affirmed as one of the most strikingly talented bands that have ever emerged from the United Kingdom, let alone the city that they hold so dear.

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