Elbow at Koko? A match made in nursery-rhyme heaven if ever there
was one! And as Camden's best rock venue slowly filled, the
anticipation grew for this come-back gig to promote their new album.
Actually, let me just read that last line again.
Is it the case now that bands only do anything when they have
something to promote? And why has it taken so long for them to come up
with anything new? Whatever happened to the "keep playing or die"
philosophy? Whatever happened to The Strokes, for that
matter?
Well, wherever Elbow have been, they've certainly filled out. Now,
I take the view that, in rock'n'roll, any criticism of the
presentation is good coin, and when someone mentions how nice a woman
looks in pop, that it is not meant to imply that she does not have
other qualities. "You wouldn't talk about her pretty blonde face if
she was a man". Too right, I wouldn't.
And I might even hedge my bets
about saying anything if she was fat. But Elbow, as a whole, are a
portly group. Singer Gus Garvey admits this himself when he shuffles
back on stage to the crowd's rendition of the theme from The Littlest
Hobo (a condition set by Garvey for the encore) and smirks at the
sight of a thousand fans singing the tune to "five chubby lads from
Manchester". And has anyone spotted what Elbow spells backward?
But what, you rightly ask, of the music? Well, the vocals could
have done with being turned up as the band drowned out Garvey's gruff
croon, particularly on the intense Switching Off, but all the
crowd-pleasing moments from the first two albums were there, played
with gusto. Pleasingly, the stand-out moments came from the new
material, in particular Great Expectations - which was a bit too
laidback and quiet for the assembled jabberers who were, sadly, not
asleep at the back - and an absolutely storming Leaders of the Free
World. Early indications are that this new album will meet the
expectations of the loyal cast of thousands assembled here
tonight.
But let me return to the start and wonder again what benefit
hibernating can have for a band, who only then wheel themselves back
out when there's PR to be done? Well, in Elbow's case, it does seem
that it is not only the waistlines that have grown. A passionate
performance, a familiar ease with the audience and a set of new tunes
that could rekindle the affections of the masses for their torch songs
appear to be the result of withdrawing to the kitchen. And if music be
the food of love, dining with Elbow is clearly a smart choice.
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