Elbow - Bristol, U.K. 9th April '08

[Helen D]

Well, we were really looking forward to seeing Elbow and after a few pre - gig beers in Zerodegrees, then a very good bottled beer in the bar at Colston Hall we went in to see the support band 'Two Gallants' who were well worth listening to, (a kind of 'White Stripes' comparison could be made here) and managed to be near the front for when Elbow came on.I loved the new songs from 'The Seldom Seen Kid'. 'Starlings' was a brilliant start to the evening.The band were relaxed and looked to be really having fun with it. They played 'Grounds For Divorce' with it's rocky feel' 'The Bones of you', 'Mirrorball' and 'Fugative Motel', one of my favourites, amongst others; all fantastic and I loved the audience participation invited for 'On A Day Like This' and for the last song of the evening 'Grace Under Pressure'; an old favourite from 'Cast of Thousands'. More singing along only much louder. I was pleased to notice the wide age range of fans joining in enthusiastically.Guy Garvey was as ever in fine voice and really chatty throughout the evening and interacted with the crowd, many of whom are loyal fans. Anyone who follows his radio show on BBC 6 music will be familiar with his warm sense of humour, which he could be more free with without the constraints of broadcasting protocol. Loved your joke Guy, but I can't repeat it here.Although Elbow are noted for the melancholy feel of their music, you will always leave their gigs with a warm feeling and it's good to know that Guy and the band are back on the road again.