SONGS, STORIES AND SUMMER NIGHTS: ELBOW NIGHT 1 AT THE BANDSTAND

LIVE REVIEW | ELBOW | KELVINGROVE BANDSTAND, GLASGOW 7th August 2025 by Anne Kelly

In the first of 3 sold out at Glasgow’s ‘Summer Nights at The Bandstand’, Manchester’s Elbow left more than just an echo on the West End’s Kelvingrove Park.

“Hello Glasgow” raises frontman Guy Garvey to a full house amphitheatre, before gently delving into the lull of atmospheric opening track ‘This Blue World’.

The crowd mostly subdued but present, are reflective of the mostly mature, typically West End audience tonight. Bringing with them cushions alongside their trusty regatta waterproofs (just in case) the crowd held back with any rush to the barrier. However, the change in tempo of ‘Lovers Leap’ and ‘Adrianna Again’, shifted the lacklustre and the crowd were coming out their shell. Whilst that only as much as extended to a bit of foot tapping or arm raising, a handful of seated guests jumped to their feet and made their way towards the front – myself included.

“I’ve got a little game for the band tonight, Glasgow” teases Guy. “A sort of “Where’s Wally’ “My brother Marcus’ doppelganger is here tonight. I saw him earlier and thought “bloody hell, what you doing here”. It’s this sort of friendly banter that keeps the energy up between tracks, making the 2 hour show fly by. Of course, it wasn’t long before Craig (Potter) on keys spotted the look-a-like amongst the crowd.

A natural storyteller, Garvey introduces the tracks giving context and depth to every single song. No matter if you had heard these songs a hundred times or for the first time tonight, it was hard not to feel the emotional weight they present when introduced. One of the most poignant of these stories was ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’, dedicated to his late friend Brian Clancy, and what he imagined it would be like if he met his now wife, Rachel Stirling. A beautiful introduction for an even more beautifully written song.

It’s moments like tonight where you can really grasp the heartfelt depth of Garvey’s lyricism, and hearing so many voices sing those words back with unadulterated passion sends shivers down even the coldest of spines.

Some of the highlights from the set included newer additions ‘Balu’, ‘Her To The Earth’ and ‘Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years’ from last year’s chart topping Audio Vertigo, all the way to the crowd pleasing ‘Lippy Kids’, ‘Magnificent’ and ‘Grounds For Divorce’, the latter which is arguably one of the best rock riffs of the past 20 years. With the bigger hits finally encouraging bums off the bandstands concrete cavea, the dynamic in the ampitheate was elevated to ethereal standings. The highlight of the night though came during the first half of the encore with ‘Sad Captains,’ which created a profound sense of connection between the band and the audience. Despite the presence of over 2,000 people in the stands, the atmosphere felt surprisingly intimate, transforming the event from just a concert into a gathering of kindred friends.

Predictably closing with their biggest hit ‘One Day Like This’, controversially one of my least favourite songs, actually felt pretty special tonight. Playing God, Garvey, embodying a conductor, skillfully engaged the audience, guiding different sections to harmonize in various octaves, resulting in a truly impressive collective sound. Shout out to the guy who channeled about 90% of the crowds energy, standing on the benches and dancing his heart out, even giving the band the occasional belly flash!

Despite the at times static crowds tonight, as a venue the Kelvingrove Bandstand was made for nights like this; basking in Glasgow sunset, nursing a pint of your preferred tipple and simply soaking up the music. Elbow, you were Magnificent.