Elbow - Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (15/10/2008)

Elbow emerged this year from celebrated underdogs to award-winning celebrities, yet tonight in one of the Midlands' premier music venues you would never have known.

The band, frontman Guy Garvey in particular, come across as genuine and self-effacing folk who deserve every bit of the success they are finally enjoying after years of hard slog.

Garvey is a man who you'd happily share a pint with, and tonight he shows what a national treasure he and his four mates from Bury in Lancashire really are. There was no hint that his Mercury Prize win has made him a different person; in fact, he describes himself as still suffering with LSD (Lancashire Self Doubt).

Garvey dedicated early classic 'Newborn' to the lighting engineer's mother who was in the crowd celebrating her 60th birthday, and being Garvey, you honestly believe he meant it.

Garvey's voice is an underrated weapon and tonight it was faultless. On slower songs such as 'Newborn', the gorgeous 'Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver' and personal favourite 'The Stops', his voice soared to incredible heights and left the respectful crowd completely under his spell.

Music from previous album Leaders Of The Free World really shone tonight. Songs like 'The Stops', the imperious 'Station Approach' and most of all the song that should have made them big last time around, 'Forget Myself', were all terrific.

What new album Seldom Seen Kid truly delivers is three proper anthems. The stirring 'Bones Of You' and the pounding 'Grounds For Divorce' are both fantastic, but it is career highlight 'One Day Like This', played before the band went off for their encore, that left the crowd in raptures.

There are always some quibbles and tonight was no different. Second album Cast Of Thousands was largely cast aside, with classics like 'Fallen Angel', 'Fugitive Motel' and 'Switching Off' left in the locker.

Also, the decision to end on the undeniably lovely 'Friend Of Ours' instead of 'One Day Like This', the modern equivalent of 'Hey Jude' in terms of set closers, bemused to the point that numerous punters decided to try and beat the traffic.

However, none of this can diminish the joy Elbow brought to their fans tonight and the rapturous ovation they received from those remaining was testament to that.

Rating: 4.5/5

Send this page to a friend | Gig ticket

Ticket listing and gig dates

BUY THIS MUSIC RELEASE


Artist: Elbow Title: The Seldom Seen Kid Released: 22/04/2008 Buy Now \| View Details	Artist: Elbow Title: Asleep in the Back Released: 28/07/2009 Buy Now \| View Details

RELATED CONTENT ON THE DAILY MUSIC GUIDE

17/10/2008
Reviews

Elbow - Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (15/10/2008)
Bury's finest take their UK tour to the Black Country to bask in the glow of their Mercury win.

28/09/2008
Reviews

Elbow - The Bones Of You (Fiction)
Mercury prize winners Elbow prove their critically acclaimed worth with their latest offering.

10/09/2008
Music News

Elbow win 2008 Mercury Music Prize
Manchester five-piece band win with their fourth album.

28/06/2008
Interviews

Mercury Prize winners Elbow at Glastonbury Festival 2008
Craig from the Mercury Prize-winning rock band Elbow joins us in the DMG gazebo for a chat about the festival ahead of their Saturday night Other Stage performance.

30/05/2008
Reviews

Elbow - One Day Like This (Fiction)
The Mancunians hit the target again with this blistering anthem.

18/03/2010
Weblink

Elbow's official website
http://www.elbow.co.uk

18/03/2010
Weblink

Elbow on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/elbowmusic

YOUR COMMENTS

Let everyone know what you think by leaving your comments. Please read our terms and conditions before posting.

Your Name

Location

Comments

STORY DETAILS

Published: 17/10/2008 at 13:18
Author: James Brindle
Links: Permanent Link

Articles

CITYBREAK SPONSORS