Elbow live at the Grand Opera House, Belfast

A handful of songs into the set and a shout goes up from the audience, “You’re better than Oasis!” Elbow’s lumbering frontman Guy Garvey leans towards the microphone and with an amiable chuckle retorts, “I should fucking hope so”. Right now, this Bury quintet find themselves at the precise intersection of critical and public affection. It’s a good place to be and a position – as the aforementioned Gallagher mob know only too well – which so few groups enjoy the privilege of occupying.
The ornate surroundings of the Grand Opera House provide the perfect backdrop for tonight’s show, the songs stately, lavish and full of dark grandeur. Here, Garvey is the unassuming star, be it in leading the devotees in a swashbuckling, clap-along rendition of ‘Grounds For Divorce’ or gathering his bandmates for an impromptu team huddle before propelling them into a hymnal rendition of ‘Weather To Fly’. The anecdotes, the in-between song joviality, this is all part of the reason why Elbow are so endearing but it’s Garvey’s voice, a cry from the top of Mount Olympus, that makes them extraordinary.
‘Mirrorball’ finds the singer impaled upon a thousand shards of light, the words “When we make the moon our mirror ball/The street’s an empty stage” cascading from him. Then follows the corrosive might of ‘Leaders Of The Free World’ and the yearning majesty of ‘Newborn’. Their dramatic power threatens to flood the venue to its high-ceilinged brim. This evening’s performance can be interpreted as an affirmation of Elbow’s belated arrival in the popular standing but on a more fundamental level it is, quite simply, life affirming.