Elbow live at Southampton Guildhall :: Wessex Scene Online

Elbow live at Southampton Guildhall

4th April 2006
Stephen Thompson

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After a hearty warm up set from Liam Frost and the Slowdown Family, Guy Garvey led his bunch of scruffy northerners, collectively known as Elbow, on to centre stage at the Guildhall. The gig that followed was one of the most inspired sets I have seen in recent years in Southampton. Unfortunately the venue was far from full, but Guy and co. did not let this dampen their spirits. They set about doing what they do best, and proved to those who had made the effort to attend, why the money for the tickets was well spent. They played a variety of songs spanning their current three album career.

A highlight was an astounding renditions of ‘New Born’. There are few words that can express how good this song is live. Breathtaking, exceptional and accomplished come close. It is just one of those things that everyone should experience.

There was plenty of banter exchanged between the unkempt from man and his attentive audience. This obvious intimacy is what sets Elbow apart from other bands. They have always remained in touch with their fan base and this grass roots attitude they adapt to their followers helps to make their gigs familiar and personal.

A perfect example of this, was when Guy got a 10 year old up on stage, whom he nicknamed Dave Hansom. He gave him a drum and sticks and got him to help out with the percussion on ‘Forget Myself’. That child certainly wont forget seeing Elbow live in a hurry, and neither will the rest of the audience even though we didn’t get a drum or drum sticks. Apart from this overwhelming jealousy of a prepubescent young lad, it was a magical night, establishing Elbow as one of the most underrated bands of the present age.