Elbow brought the mainland leg of the UK tour to an emphatic end last night (April 15th) with a sold-out show at Brixton Academy in London.

Making their third appearance at the venue, the band played a set which borrowed heavily from their latest album, ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’.

Arriving on stage just after 9pm, Elbow opened with new song ‘Starlings’, which featured trumpet parts from frontman Guy Garvey, bassist Pete Turner and guitarist Mark Potter.

After a series of slower numbers, the band’s set reached epic proportions with latest single ‘Ground For Divorce’, which saw Garvey thrashing a steel instrument during the songs chorus.

The frontman was on top form throughout the night, thanking the crowd for sticking by the band during their eighteen year career.

As well as dedicating a song to his brother, who was in the audience, he also chose to honour ‘Newborn’ to the Potter brothers, both of whom recently became fathers.

The band were joined half way through the set by special guest Richard Hawley for a rendition of ‘The Fix’, which tells the story of two men who try to fix a horse race.

Before Hawley sang and played guitar on the song, he asked the crowd to give Elbow a round of applause in recognition of their accomplishments as a band.

The biggest reaction of the night was saved for the band’s next single, ‘One Day Like This’, which saw the five and a half thousand crowd sing along in unison with every word.

Elbow were supported before the show by San Francisco’s Two Gallants.

(by Jason Gregory)