Review: Elbow bring an uplifting note as Co-op Live puts opening misery behind it

It's what the bosses of the new Co-op Live arena must have been praying for for weeks now. The sound of a huge cheer echoing around this shiny new bowl.

And there are no better recipients than local heroes Elbow as they take on the mantle of being the first act to play a full show here.

"Let's open this venue properly shall we?" Guy Garvey shouts rhetorically as he takes the acclaim of the crowd.

"The staff working here have all been so excited all day. There was electricity in the room before you got here but It's ramped up now, I hope you can feel it" he adds.

READ MORE 'Most of these shows wouldn't be here without us' - Co-op Live boss

It's been a tumultuous start in this venue's history. But in the end, could there be a more fitting opening act than Garvey and his merry band of men on a drizzly Manchester day?

The Bury band themselves know about doing things the hard way and pulling yourself up by your boot straps, having earned their reputation through more than three decades worth of hard graft mixed with burning passion.

It's been a long, and at times hard, road but Elbow have deservedly cemented their status as one of as one of Britain's most cherished groups, with tonight a shining example as to why.

They now have 10 studio albums under their belt and are currently touring their latest offering Audio Vertigo. And it is a sign of their confidence that they begin with two tracks from it, the opener being the brooding Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years. There is a certainty now with Elbow that whatever they produce will be high-quality

And as an opener it doesn't disappoint. 'I can read people, yeah...' Guy croons over its almost haunting guitar riff. That he can. He is a man who certainly knows how to work a crowd and he is clearly revelling in his role as the conductor of tonight's historic show. He uses the chorus of fellow newbie, and recent single, the funky and jangly Lovers Leap, to ask 'let me see you shake!'

But it is as the unmistakable opening chimes of The Bones of You from their acclaimed fourth record The Seldom Seen Kid, ring out that things really start to heat up. 'Let me see your hands!' Guy asks, not the first time.

Their 2008 album was undoubtedly the turning point in their career, seeing them win the Mercury Prize and setting them on the path to the stardom they enjoy today. And 14 years on from its release, the songs still sound as fresh and as groundbreaking as ever.

'It's you, and it's May.....' Guy booms to the crowd as the words are belted right back at him.

Whilst the beautiful Mirrorball, which shimmers just like its subject matter, shows their dexterity and how easily they can flit from the rocky to the gently romantic.

Musically they are so tight, you could close your eyes and think you were listening to them on Spotify. Or vinyl as I'm sure self-professed traditionalist Guy would prefer.

The driving and tubthumping The Picture, which Guy says is about 'not trusting your memories to the internet', is one of five songs from their new record, all of which show they seem to have re-developed a slightly down-and-dirty, rockier edge. Good Blood Mexico City is another example. Whilst Balu has shades of eighties synth-pop in it. They go all the way back to the 2005 album Leaders of the Free World for the folky Station Approach.

But anthems is what they do best, and you couldn't ask for a better trio to wrap up the main part of the show than My Sad Captains, Magnificent (She Says) and the iconic Grounds for Divorce. 'Entertaining the whole crowd is like making love to a beautiful woman' he says as he leads the crowd in some acapella backing vocals.

The 'hole in my neighbourhood' famously refers to Manchester's underground bar Temple. And the first of two encore songs, Lippy Kids, also evokes memories from days gone by. Guy's voice, a key component of their success, soars as he belts out the chorus 'Build a rocket boys!'

They finish their rip-roaring 19-song-set with the anthem of all anthems, One Day Like This. The soundtrack of countless wedding first dances, it has truly cemented itself as one of the stone-cold classics of recent decades, becoming akin to a modern-day English folk song. Phone torches are held aloft and arms sway. It is the perfect finale.

Tonight, the curtain came up, and Elbow threw it wide.

Setlist

Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years
Lovers‘ Leap
The Bones of You
Mirrorball
Charge
Fly Boy Blue / Lunette
The Picture
Dexter & Sinister
Balu
The Birds
Puncture Repair
Kindling
Good Blood Mexico City
Station Approach
My Sad Captains
Magnificent (She Says)
Grounds for Divorce

Encore:
Lippy Kids
One Day Like This