The most sensuous word in the english language!

 

What can I say about Elbow that hasn’t already been said? Probably not much but that won’t stop me.

 

I have been a fan for some years now never really understanding how they had not managed commercial success akin to say, Coldplay who have clearly stolen ideas from them over the years…allegedly. It was with huge pride and happiness that I have seen them rise in stature this last 12months as a result of their hyper-successful fourth studio album – ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’. Often when I like a band I don’t tell many people about them for fear they will become huge and noone will believe me when I say that I liked them from the start. With Elbow it has been entirely different. They haven’t deviated from the path along which they have organically grown. There has been no huge deviation from the poetry of Garvey in an attempt to sell more records and get more radio air time. The poetry in those big anthems is still there – the lyrical beauty, the softness of tone, the intelligence – it’s still there in all it’s glory to be celebrated. To lift you up when ‘One day like this’ reaches it’s climax only to bring you back down to earth with a beautiful bump with ‘Friend of ours’ – their ode to a deceased friend…there are few songs that deal with the love between two male friends, let alone do it with ease, understatement and above all honesty.

 

Elbow deserve every success they get – critical acclaim doesn’t put bread and jam on the table after all. Theyare not the band they are today despite being dropped by their record label early on in their career rather because of it. Setbacks, whether professional or personal, are the basis of any great music and Elbow have succeeded in making their heartbreaks accessible to those who care to listen. I saw them play in Sheffield the other night and was overwhelmed by the warmth they exude towards their audience – a band that genuinely care that their audience enjoy their evening and get their moneys worth – rare to say the least. I would say that it’s not just the music that make Guy Garvey the charismatic frontman that he is but the way he reacts to the crowd in such a humble and approachable way. On several occasions he singled out individuals to give them a wave of recognition and a smile. When the crowd sang along he morphed into the cheshire cat.

Garvey engages. He told a beautiful story about how when they first started out Craig Potters parents (Craig is keyboard player) gave the band the money they had set aside for his Craig’s university education. When he told them he wasn’t going to university the money was used to buy amps and guitars. I would wager that their are a hundred or more stories about the people who have helped out along the way because of the faith they had that, one day, Elbow would make that breakthrough, award winning album that is a must have for any collection.

One other thing that I love about Elbow is that they are unashamedly northern and that aspect seems to shine through in everything they do. Elbow are supreme for all the reasons that Coldplay are not.

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