Wed 23 Mar, Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
★★★★★
words: OLIVER TAME photos: SIMON AYRE
Walking out to a warm welcome from a packed crowd, it was apparent from the start that the Mercury Prize and Ivor Novello award winners have earned themselves respect as one of Britain’s best indie bands. Humbled by their meteoric rise to fame since their seminal album The Seldom Seen Kid, the band’s performance at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena proved that the band are deserving of their elevated status.
Elbow maintain a rare ability to both rock and charm in one seamless effort. The former was achieved with thunderous renditions of Grounds For Divorce and Neat Little Rows. The latter was achieved with a combination of Garvey’s naturally engaging style, wistful lyrics and warm conversation with the crowd.
Haunting, melodic and pitch-perfect versions of Some Riot, Mirrorball and The Night Will Always Win championed Garvey’s crisp lyrics and vocal talent, while the rest of the band provided a faultless performance with each note echoing clearly around the arena.
It has been the band’s intention that their latest UK arena tour be “full of love”. They found a willing accomplice in a Cardiff audience that was in good voice – especially for the appropriately named With Love. Backed by an impressive light and visual show, Elbow proved that they know how to deliver an arena performance while still managing to engage the crowd in a personal and heartfelt show. With wit and charm, the band delivered a set that championed both their euphoric scores and earnest lyrics. On a day that saw Cardiff bask in unseasonal sunshine, the ever-popular, feel-good One Day Like This, was a fitting song to close their performance.
Elbow will have been playing together as a band for twenty years this June. Although only now achieving the popular success they rightly deserve, if they continue in a similar vein for another twenty, remaining so modest may be a tall order.