Gig reports.. CONTAINS SPOILERS

MagicalTrevor wrote:

russycarps wrote:

I though guy had said he couldnt sing powder blue anymore as it's too high, then on saturday when I saw them he went WAY higher on weather to fly. I guess they just got bored of PB.

At the beginning of this thread it was stated that they played Powder Blue in Cambridge.

They don't seem to have played it since so I wonder if it proved too challenging.

Powder Blue sounded pretty damn good at Cambridge, Guy didn't seem to have a problem hitting the notes.

Misspelt Yoof wrote:

MyBones? wrote:

anyone know what the touts are asking for tickets? i might wonder down again tonight, gutted i didn't get tickets for multiple nights now

A friend got one for £30 last night after much bargaining. Doubt it'd cost more than £40 tho.

I'm torn. I can't really afford it, I could do with an early night and three nights running could lead to Elbow-overkill. But then again, it is Elbow.

Hmmm, not sure my student loan will quite cover it. I might wonder down, we'll see. Thanks

I wish i'd gone to every night now!!!
SCREW WORK!

al wrote:

posh steve wrote:

My second gig of the week last night, after Cambridge on Monday.

Both as good as each other, great sets. One Day Like This nearly blew the roof off the Roundhouse.

Steve you saw them again? You're a jammy sod!

I really appreciated the spoiler warnings - we've been avoiding this thread all week and it added a certain giddiness to the proceedings not knowing what was coming next! Sarah and I were front row at Cardiff, and it was amazing. Some Riot and Weather To Fly (I'm assuming we're not hiding spoilers anymore?) caused my jaw to drop, they were absolutely stunning. I could hear some chatting but most of the crowd seemed great - not least the couple very front and centre who were seriously getting into the music!

Great gig, Jesca Hoop was beautiful and I have Jupps setlist. Sarah and I are planning to get the full set, obviously..

Next stop.... GARVEY, mooha ha ha ha

I'd laugh, but I fear you are serious

Never. NEveR.

Hi guys, was just wondering whether anyone knows the stage times for the Leicester gig on Thursday and how long it goes on till, thanks.

From what I've seen and experienced timings for the tour are approximately

8pm Jesca Hoop
9pm Elbow
10.45 ish - End

I was at all 3 of the Roundhouse gigs and they were all totally stunning. Last night's was especially lovely cause, about 60 seconds into "One Day Like This", I heard a girly scream behind me, and I turned around and a guy was down on one knee asking his girlfriend to marry him! She said yes, and then they hugged, and then the streamers and balloons fell down all over them and I have never seen two people look so happy!

The Evening Standard's review of Sunday night...

Quote :

For all the Mercury Prize’s nods to populism (Arctic Monkeys, M People), novelty (Pulp) and pointless obscurity (Talvin Singh), sometimes it succeeds in its mission to popularise hitherto marginalised music. Hence, Elbow, a band who, after three albums of unfairly unheralded toil, needed and unapologetically wanted to win the prize.

As a result, the wider world has awoken to the many charms of the Bury quintet. Whereas before what leader Guy Garvey described as “the best thing to happen to us” they might have been grateful to fill the Roundhouse once, last night was the second of three sell-outs.

And whereas for most bands the phrase “this is a track from our new album” results in their audience filling glasses or emptying bladders, erstwhile Elbow staples such as The Stops or Scattered Black And Whites passed by almost unrecognised, but anything from the Mercury winner The Seldom Seen Kid was greeted with joy and wide-eyed reverence.

Wisely, laurels are not being rested upon and Elbow are discovering that they love being loved. Halfway through, Garvey dedicated Newborn to a heavily pregnant woman in the circle.

More than that, he changed the song’s first line from “I’ll be the corpse in your bathtub” to the more baby-friendly “I’ll be the duck in your bathtub” for her and ordered the crowd to turn and serenade her. As acts of spontaneous loveliness go, it was perfect. Later, after the magnificent One Day Like This ended with a shower of balloons and festive glitter, Garvey promised to return for an encore only if the crowd repeatedly sang Happy Birthday — rather than the usual “more” — to one of his string quartet. They did: of course they did, just as they couldn’t help themselves but cheer wildly when Garvey accidentally on purpose uttered the word “Mercury”.

If Garvey is approaching national treasure status, his band’s newly appreciated music remains as stately as ever, but for all the warmth and uplift of their shows, they still sing of death, alcoholism and betrayal. The big ballads, especially The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver, had their own luminous beauty, but Elbow can rock too: Weather To Fly began in acoustic gentleness and concluded in symphonic wonder.

Elbow have gloriously seized their moment. All that remains is to eclipse The Seldom Seen Kid. Only a fool would bet against them.

I entirely disagree with the bits in italics. All three Roundhouse gigs sold out before the Mercury win, and there was nothing unrecognised about The Stops and SB&W.

... and The Guardian, also reviewing Sunday's show...

Quote :

Guy Garvey strides to the front of the stage and holds a gleaming trumpet aloft triumphantly. He looks like a footballer with a championship cup, an actor with an Oscar - or indeed, a man with the Mercury prize, awarded to his band last month. Elbow's bassist and guitarist, Pete Turner and Mark Potter, raise their own trumpets, and the trio play one long, sharp, declamatory note. Lights blare, almost as bright as the grin on Garvey's face. Elbow have arrived.

As opening moments go, this is fantastically dramatic stuff, and the 16-song set that follows lives up to it thrillingly. The pacing is theatrically perfect, a sequence of crescendos and emotional crashes. They'll play a muted, introspective number like The Stops, lulling the audience into a languorous daze, then immediately follow it with something punchy and compelling - in this case, the industrial grind of Grounds for Divorce. Even individual songs are strikingly arranged: The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver holds its breath each time Craig Potter plays a gorgeous, swooshing chord on the keyboards, while Weather to Fly begins with the quintet huddled together at the side of the stage, sweetly singing a cappella, before returning to their posts to send the song soaring.

Nor are Elbow immune to the cheesy gesture: during Mirrorball, a song about "big moons", a huge disco ball illuminates the room. Better still, One Day Like This is transformed from a sober celebration of hard-won love into a blast of outright euphoria, its uplifting atmosphere heightened by the glitter and balloons scattered over the audience. Just as Garvey's scruffy, bumbling appearance belies his mesmerising dynamism as a frontman - he's constantly leaning into the crowd, or pointing to the sky - so the band's reputation for dourness is shattered by such cheerful showmanship.

This is, effectively, the same show Elbow were playing on tour six months ago: once again, Newborn is dedicated to a pregnant woman in the audience; once again, Garvey insists that the band won't return for an encore unless the crowd chant the word "happy", this time while singing Happy Birthday to one of their violinists. The difference is in Elbow's boosted confidence following the Mercury win. They are riding the crest of a wave - and loving every minute of it.

the italics is all bollocks!!

Hotblack wrote:

From what I've seen and experienced timings for the tour are approximately

8pm Jesca Hoop
9pm Elbow
10.45 ish - End

Thanks, it's gonna be great

Well the first bit is bollocks, I agree, but the second bit is just highly inventive and exaggerated. I have to admit that Grounds, Tower Crane Driver and One Day got the biggest cheers of the evening at Pompey. That's not to say that the rest weren't roundly applauded, appreciated and were most definitely recognised.

Wonderful gig tonight in Wolverhampton. Guy was on wonderful form, being both chatty and funny. The only concern was that Pete appeared to be suffering a little with a cough/cold. Anyway, to anyone who is still to catch the tour, you're in for an absolute treat, especially if Weather To Fly remains in the set. It was my personal highlight from a setlist that ran:

Starlings
Bones Of You
Leaders Of The Free World
Mirrorball
The Stops
Grounds For Divorce
Mexican Standoff
Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver
Newborn
Weather To Fly
Forget Myself
One Day Like This
---------------------------------------------
Some Riot
Station Approach
Scattered Black & Whites


The crowd song before the encore was (rather bizarrely) Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting. My only real gripe, and it's a constant problem at gigs nowadays, why do people feel the need to talk? Why pay to see a band and then natter? Can folk really not keep schtum for 100 minutes? Anyway, top night and roll on Liverpool and two Manchester shows.

takemeanywhere wrote:

Anyway, to anyone who is still to catch the tour, you're in for an absolute treat, especially if Weather To Fly remains in the set. It was my personal highlight

Agreed. Weather To Fly works so well live.

But still no repeat of either Powder Blue or Fugitive Motel since Cambridge. I can't stand it!!! Would so love to hear both of those tracks live.....

Emma G wrote:

But still no repeat of either Powder Blue or Fugitive Motel since Cambridge. I can't stand it!!! Would so love to hear both of those tracks live.....

No sign of Switching Off either.

Come on boys get it sorted for next Monday.

Don't think they'v done Switching Off at all on this tour. Has Cambridge given me false hope??

I was at Wolverhampton last night. Im no youngster (36) and I can say hand on heart that it was the best gig ive ever been to and ive bben to a fair few! Brilliant from start to finish. Great banter, they sounded amazing live. Not a note out of place. I was gobsmacked. Highlights 'Forget Myself' & 'Mirrorball' ' but to be honest I enjoyed every single song. I was second row back on the right and I will post pics if thats ok with the moderator?

Thanks Elbow for such a wonderful night and making music that truly touches my soul.

Alison wrote:

I was second row back on the right and I will post pics if thats ok with the moderator?

Pics fine by me

the guys were absolutely ON FIRE at wolverhampton!!

apart from forgetting "are you watching them pair off and drinkin em long" in Forget Myself - dealt with by mumbling, and forgetting then to sing the first line of Station Approach because he was too busy pleasing the crowd, Guy was on top form. Newborn was ace, he sung beautifully on Some Riot, and likewise for Tower Crane Driver.

Also, I got to speak to Mr. Garvey!! In the silly song suggestions, I suggetsted Tainted Love, he seemed to like the idea, but we ended up with Kung Fu fighting - and some karate moves by Guy!!

My first Elbow gig... ... ... - Definitely not the last. They were stupendous. better than muse... AT WEMBLEY!!

anyone got the setlist, or know of the setlist for the wolves civic gig. much appreciated.

I've already posted it, fella - just go back to page 6 of this thread.

cheers

I was rooting for "Tainted love" last night, leo. Good choice.