Intimacy and bombast are never far apart at Elbow. For this acoustic set, which the British band gave at The Ritz in Manchester on October 15, 2019, they let go of that bombast. It is then also 18 years ago that the band performed there for the first time. The relatively short set list - only eight tracks - is therefore graced by two songs from the debut album from the same year 2001. Like the
… beautifully constructed Newborn. The charismatic frontman Guy Harvey jokes in between and tells the audience anecdotes. With Weightless, a little more weight is put under the acoustic sound. After that, audience favorite Grounds For Divorce closes the set list, with Elbow lighting up the fire and you can hear the audience sing along. Despite the intimate setting, Elbow manages to subtly incorporate the pompous elements from their sound into this acoustic concert. (JvQ)more