Manchester International Festival @ Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 8 July 2009
Elbow
Historically, Manchester has always been the kind of city that cherishes its musical
institutions. Tonight's sold out performance (the first of two shows) is yet
another illustration of Manchester's swelling pride in its musical heroes.
In a night set to be instantly etched in Mancunian folklore, the city's newest and
oldest institutions - Mercury Award winners Elbow and the world-famous Hallé
Orchestra along with the magnificent Hallé Youth Choir - come together, as
Manchester International Festival triumphantly marches into its second week.
Elbow's front man Guy Garvey stands bashfully and slightly to one side of the stage.
He refuses to be the central focus and is clearly in awe of the esteemed company. The
Hallé Orchestra - led by local composer and arranger for the night, Joe
Dudell - dominates the stage. A mutual respect pours from the Hallé's obvious
affection for Elbow's consistently wonderful back catalogue. Tonight's other key player,
the Bridgewater Hall, is dimly lit and packed to the rafters. Now one of the country's most
respected theatres, the purpose-built auditorium is the ideal venue for an occasion such as
this.
Unlike Elbow's recent performance for the BBC, which was a straight recreation of the
award-winning album, The Seldom Seen Kid, tonight's set leans heavily on ballads from all
of Elbow's four studio albums. Garvey's natural grasp of pathos, and his innate ability to
relate the simplicity of romance and the depth of love is at centre stage and played out in
full. The Seldom Seen Kid's most moving junctures - Mirrorball, Some Riot and Loneliness
Of A Tower Crane Driver - come alive and stand like giants in this grand theatre, while a
selection of surprises please the band's long term supporters.
Intimate classics like Powder Blue, The Stops and Switching Off are transformed into
blanketing mini-symphonies. Starlings is given its own small overture, allowing the
majestic Hallé Orchestra to periodically take the reigns. Due to the emphasis on the
ballad, the performance rarely alters its melancholic pace, but when it does - with the
clobbering riffs of Grounds For Divorce - it feels like the crowd has been caught slightly
unawares. Even Garvey's noble attempts to involve the audience aren't enough to lull it out
of a stunned, but happy, stupor.
Following a short interval, this fortunate audience is treated to another surprise.
Garvey looks towards the choir, the light on the main orchestra dims and the young
vocalists do the rest. Grace Under Pressure has never sounded so beautiful. Without any
musical accompaniment, its gentle lullaby is this evening's soothing respite. Occasionally,
the night threatens to overwhelm. The seamless duet of Great Expectations and Friend Of
Ours brings cheers of adoration and relief, such is its intensity.
Garvey sings flawlessly throughout; but somehow on this occasion, his angelic croon
plays second fiddle to this glorious night, as Elbow's affecting ballads stand like mirrors
in front of its immersed audience. Garvey has a unique way a reflecting anyone else's life
with his own. His humility and wide-eyed romanticism chimes with every human heart here, as
poignant minor chord refrains and soaring melodies echo emotions this crowd is feeling now
or has felt before.
Like a band that hasn't put a foot wrong for going on 10 years, Elbow planned well for
this event. The Bridgewater Hall's opulent surroundings, usually reserved for higher-brow
entertainment, cradle the band's emotive songs and the crowd's attentive silence without a
semblance of awkwardness. Breaking this silent appreciation with applause just feels like
impolite interruption. Such is the preciousness of the atmosphere, the audience will wait
for a violinist's final bowed note to end in silence before soft ripples of applause swell
into full-scale raptures. The audience savours each and every moment in an auditorium that
accentuates each and every note.
With a performance that will etch in the memories of the lucky few in attendance, this
still-humble Bury five-piece have written yet another chapter in Mancunian music history.
How do Elbow go about toppling this night? With memories such as these, it is unlikely the
band will care. One thing's for sure, though - this town will cherish them until the very
end.
GIG:
