02 December 2015 (gig)
02 December 2015
The onstage antics of national treasure Guy Garvey made this first show of his solo UK tour positively chaotic.
With his playful persona, Garvey puts in a less-polished performance than we’ve come to expect from his days for arena-filling Elbow.
In this former BBC TV theatre, Garvey's set has something of the music hall feel to it. Ever the showman, the 41-year-old revels in his blunders; forgotten lyrics adding comic value.
As well as the trademark inter-song banter, the set fluctuates between the bold and gentle. Venturing into pastures new for his first solo album, Courting the Squall, Garvey allows his diverse musical influences through, from Afrobeat to Doo-wop.
The brassy Harder Edges and Belly of the Whale – which samples George Michael’s Careless Whisper –inject New Orleans jazz into the set. As an encore, Garvey and new bandmates Peter Jobson (I Am Kloot) and guitarist Nathan Sudders (The Whip) huddle around a single mic to cover I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire, by 1940’s balladeers, The Ink Spots.
But as those familiar with Elbow’s early albums know, Garvey also has a penchant for shoe-gazing introspection. A list of questions, Unwind, with its tinkling piano notes, is subtle and measured. Packed with alliteration, Juggernaut is equally soothing.
Haunting opener Three Bells, inspired by a church fire in Dulwich, could sit comfortably on Elbow’s Cast of Thousands album, from well before the Bury group became truly mainstream with a certain overused TV backing song.
Joined on stage by Elbow guitarist Mark Potter for the sublime Great Expectations, Garvey’s lyrical amnesia kicks in again and briefly threatens to ruin one of the night’s most intimate moments.
The groovy, percussive Angela's Eyes
features twice in the setlist as Garvey admits he is playing for time, or, as he puts it, “how to fill time with just 10 songs”.
With a clear skill for getting the best out of the English language, Garvey, often described as being able to “sing the telephone directory”, may just have swallowed a dictionary.
Forgetting the odd line, therefore, can be forgiven.
