Give it your all – a fine blueprint for living

THE fleeting window of Tynemouth Priory as one of the region’s most picturesque venues is back. And what sweeter fanfare than the shabby Mancunian maestro Guy Garvey and Elbow to announce its return. But my goodness, one could be forgiven for mistaking the scene for an advert for B&Q, or Homebase (RIP) as so many were the pop-up camping chairs, cool boxes and picnic blankets. Within 200m of the entrance it soon becomes clear this is a festival for people who don’t like festivals. So, Elbow then. A band whose popularity extends to those who might not be so keen to rummage through the racks of record shops when Saturday comes. The trouble is, Elbow are not that band. They might be beloved of Radio 2, cosy kitchens and housewives but they’ve got soul. Kicking off with Any Day Now the band are tight, they rock more than you think they could. There is something about Garvey and his delivery. It’s comforting. This was a set speckled with ‘hits’ in an age where they no longer exist, just songs people watch on YouTube or shout in pubs. But these are tunes that even hooligans cannot spoil. The Bones of You was a regal lament, but it is the soaring strings of One Day Like This – a hymn to the hopeful – that really announce Mouth of the Tyne’s return. The final song of the set, encore aside, is rousing. A little electricity passes and for five minutes the world is a wonderful place. Elbow have crept into the national psyche without ever really trying. Their arrival was slow – Asleep in the Back the debut proper brought Mercury nomination and top 20 singles. But it was the second record, which instead of wrestling with uncertainty and ill-fitting pigeon holes managed to take the band into the mainstream, proper. Garvey might be far from the classic front man in stature – bearded, slightly rotund – but his charm, his cheek, his lyrics make him everything a great frontman should be. Holding the audience, amongst pots of hummus, sandwiches and warm lager, the encore of Grounds for Divorce wraps it all up. Elbow might not be poster boys but they do leave a blueprint for living. Be honest, be yourself, and give it all. This was an evening to be treasured, and the band every bit as magnificent as the setting.