From the minute Guy Garvey and the four members of band Elbow emerged on to the stage at Cannock Chase Forest, they had the crowd eating out of their hand.
Such is the esteem they are held in by fans for their off-beat, anthemic tunes and refusal to conform to formulaic music making.
They brought with them a show that would enthral, delight and surprise in equal measure.
It was all here – from the soaring sing-along summit of One Day Like This to the gentle tinkling melodies of Mirrorball.
And from Garvey especially there was magnificent showmanship to go with it.
Elbow are a band with a loyal following, one that has grown and grown since they burst on the scene in 2001 with Asleep in the Back, and has since seen a Mercury Prize-winning turn with The Seldom Seen Kid. Their seventh studio album Little Fictions was released in February.
And that following was here in full voice, as thousands packed into a natural amphitheatre at Cannock Chase Forest in Staffordshire.
Elbow were one of a series of headline acts taking to the stage in woodland settings across the country in the hope of engaging with forest newcomers. The Forestry Commission launched Forest Live on a small scale in 2001 with this sole aim, and it has blossomed – this year there were 21 concerts in seven locations.
The experience of Forest Live is one that’s hard to match. After a day of enjoyable mountain biking among the trails in the forest, we’d washed and fed ourselves and set out from our Cannock Chase Club Site base for the hour-long walk to where the concert was taking place.
Quite apart from not having to fight to park (not that fighting was necessary, but we were happier without the car), we strolled in to find an already light mood being lifted further by musician Steve Mason, warming up for Garvey and co.
A warm evening cooled nicely as we awaited Elbow’s appearance, and although busy we found ourselves able to pick a spot just a few short yards from the stage. Many concert goers chose to seat themselves further back with the promise of comfort, a picnic blanket and a potentially better view.
Even as the first spots of rain pattered down, it failed to put any kind of downer on the evening as we found ourselves quickly pulled from the distinctive rolling drumbeat on Any Day Now, the band’s opening track of their very first album, to the likes of Head for Supplies (in Garvey’s words, a song about “going to the shop for something”).
We were treated to the slowly-building ballad Switching Off, a joyous rendition of New York Morning and the reflective beauty of Magnificent (She Says), complete with its staccato bassline and cascading strings as Garvey homes in on the hope contained in the wondrous innocence of youth.
With some wonderful crowd participation (phoning an audience member’s mother at home and encouraging a unique Mexican wave) Elbow had the full attention of their contented audience.
They were clamoured for after going off the first time, and returned to end on a three-song encore that included the entire arena singing the band’s famous “throw those curtains wide” lyric (with Garvey’s direction) and culminated in the frontman literally hammering out the full-bodied riff from Grounds for Divorce.
As we left the arena, the effect was still reverberating.
Elbow’s gig at Cannock was followed that same weekend with performances from Sir Tom Jones and Rick Astley. So it’s fair to say, there’s something for everyone with Forest Live.
The atmosphere, and the acts that help create it, are well worth taking time out to enjoy.
Check out our story about Forest Live’s background here.
