Elbow - London Astoria - 24/10/01
4/5
By: Toby L
Set-List: 'Any Day Now', 'Plastic Spoons', 'Asleep In The Back', 'Red', 'Powder Blue', 'Bitten By The Tailfly', 'Coming Second', 'Don't Mix Your Drinks', 'Newborn', ENCORE, 'Presuming Ed (Rest Easy)', 'Can't Stop', 'Scattered Blacks & Whites'.
Frontman of Elbow, Guy Garvey, smiles and leans back. 'Is my brother out there,' he beckons to the full-up venue. Predictably, someone bellows back, 'I'm here,' the calls deriving from a man on the balcony. 'Oh,' Garvey responds. 'Spoken to mum recently?'
It's this sort of banter that probably makes a crowd such as the one tonight so boisterous. Although the lead-singer and part-time guitarist from tonight's onstage stars utters jokes and generally larks about, he clearly sees the audience this evening as an extra noisy one, dismissing us every now and then by muttering to himself, 'Ah, London crowds, London crowds...'
Still, it's not a major problem and doesn't ruin the evening's proceedings. An hour and twenty minute set opens with the dimming of the hall's lights and the playback of a pre-recorded, ten-minute video-clip, projected on to a screen at the back of the stage. The full line-up of the group is seen to be walking through the streets of West London to reach their destination - this gig. As the VT rolls on, the anticipation for their arrival builds, especially when they're seen to enter the back-door of the Astoria, virtually at which point Bury's finest make it onstage. The response is deafening and sets them for good stead as they ease into regular set-opener, the haunting 'Any Day Now'.
The band smile as they reap the praise from the crowd after each track; it must be hard not to when it comes towards you at such a volume. This allows them to play better as the concert progresses, and new single 'Asleep in the Back' - the title originating from their current LP of the same name - provides an early highlight, what with its harmonic piano and whimsical chorus. The addition of cello is especially a good move, as is leaving the player to join in with a truly beautiful 'Red', the end of which leads into former single and crowd-favourite 'Powder Blue' before it fully has a chance to wind down. Continuing with the theme of bettering every last song played, it's the advancing 'Bitten by the Tailfly' that provides the first real hair-on-back-of-neck-stands-on-end moment. From its opening tribal drumming to the roaring guitar and pulsating bass, the composition explodes into an eruption of brass and Guy's yelling vocals, before ending abruptly and sending shivers down spines. The audience - inevitably - go berserk in their appreciation.
And this is what forms the paradox of an Elbow live experience. Whereas most 'serious' bands tend to remain tight-lipped or cagey in between songs, carefully choosing words so as to not ruin the ambience of the show, this lot - despite creating possibly one of the most powerful and high-impact performances of our age - tend to keep the atmosphere light and cheery. Post an explosive and devastatingly moving 'Newborn', an encore break is called for, with the band soon returning onstage, complete with a four-piece male voice choir. Once again, Garvey can't resist the chance for a joke. Pointing to the additional musicians, he points out, 'They make up the Four Coughs!' (Read that aloud to yourself to get the joke). Advancing this is a stab at a song they haven't had a chance at yet - 'Presuming Ed (Rest Easy)', one of the more tender and mellow moments on their debut album. Performed with enough heart and relish from the band to make you have an out-of-body experience, it's supplemented both soothingly and subtly by the closing 'Scattered Blacks & Whites', which leaves the couple of thousand attendees leaving with smiles on faces and hearts-a-flutter.
Clearly, for all of the fun and hi-jinks, there's a beauty and gift that this quintet possesses which others may only attempt to emulate and repeat, mixed results ensuing. Just remember who does it the best and continue to support them: Elbow will get stronger and stronger as time passes them by.
Photo-Credit: Andrew Future
Artists in this article: Elbow
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