By Beau Goodwin
Dreamland Margate had another legendary band grace the seaside venue with English rock band Elbow opening the Margate Summer Series of concerts.
Formed in the late 90s, they have had a phenomenal career with 10 studio albums, taking part in the London Olympics ceremony and also winning a Mercury Prize and Brit award.
Their show in Margate was both the start to their summer tour for ‘Audio Vertigo’, their latest release, as well as the first artist to kick off the summer season at Dreamland vintage fairground and open-air venue.
Other artists such as Suede, Simple Minds, Manic Street Preachers and Rudimental will also grace the Scenic Stage as part of Margate’s Summer Series.
Elbow was supported by solo artist Isaac Gracie and by the four-piece band The Magic Numbers. The two acts helped to warm up the audience and get them ready for Elbow, and by the time they took the stage to thunderous applause, the audience was at boiling point.
Across 19 songs, Elbow wowed Margate with a healthy mix of fans’ favourites and classics and some deeper cuts across their various albums.
They kicked the performance off early with a track from the recent LP, but the record's recency did not dull the crowd's enthusiasm as they sang along, excited for the iconic rock band’s set.
There was a consistent energy throughout the show, with all of the band members delivering a devoted and passionate performance.
Hits like ‘Grounds for Divorce’ and ‘One Day Like This’, taken from their fourth record ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’, were particular favourites and received the loudest response from the crowd when they were played live.
The theme of sing-alongs shined brightest with these two hits, with singer Guy Garvey splitting the Summer Scenic stage into two halves to sing various harmonies.
Pointing at the attendees when it was their turn to sing, he turned the people watching into his own personal choir, further adding to the positive and energetic atmosphere that Elbow had created.
There was an eclectic number of songs played live; however, the band did not overwhelm the audience with deep cuts, nor were they simply playing their greatest hits.
Songs like ‘Good Blood Mexico City’ and ‘Fly Boy Blue / Lunette’ were specific highlights of the show, bringing the crowd along through fast and heavy guitar riffs from Mark Potter, impassioned singing and thumping bass from Pete Turner.
New band member Alex Reeves played the drums throughout the set, shining on extended endings to songs like ‘Dexter and Sinister’.
The band also took time to enjoy the late summer evening, the clear blue sky providing a picturesque backdrop for the band as they slowed the performances down for songs like ‘Puncture Repair’ and ballads like ‘Lippy Kids’.
Both showcasing the talent of keyboard player Craig Potter, with Guy dedicating ‘Lippy Kids’ to “two beautiful children” in the front row. ‘Puncture Repair’ stripped the show down to just the keyboard and Guy, creating an intimate atmosphere that brought the crowd in even closer.
Everything you need to know about the Dreamland Summer Series
To enhance their performances on tour, the band also enlisted trumpets and backing vocalists. The addition of three extra members has the potential to overwhelm the crowd, but they are used sparingly. When used, the trumpets and extra backing vocals push the songs to new heights live, giving them all an anthem edge.
Their showmanship shines with the crowd interactions of lead singer Guy. From referring to Margate only as ‘Margaret’ for the whole show to joking with the audience during brief breaks between songs.
Before ‘Puncture Repair’, Craig on the keyboards stated how he hadn’t practiced this one before, causing Guy to state that fittingly for their surroundings, their performance was “quite like a high wire act” and he encouraged the audience to “picture Craig in tights”.
This wasn’t a singular incident, either. These small moments of interaction with the mass of people were consistent throughout the show. Guy stated early how this show was “truly lovely” and complimented their “beautiful” singing when called upon. Moments of banter repeated as well, with Guy joking how only one member of the audience “asked if we were okay” out of the roughly “4 and a bit thousand of you.”
There were a lot of mentions of the sea and the seaside as well. Before the encore, Guy joked that they wouldn’t come back, not “even if you do a rendition of ‘I do like to be beside the seaside’.”
Before “The Picture”, Guy discussed the idea of the body being given to the sea and turned to corruption, calling it poetic before stating how he fancied the “drama” of being “buried at sea”. Fitting with the seagulls and the sound of the waves behind them.
With the show closing out, the band gave their all for the biggest hit so far, ‘One Day Like This.’ Guy passionately asked the audience, “Is this our Dreamland?” A question that lingers in the minds of the people in attendance.
Elbow kicked off the summer series and their own tour with a bang, permanently leaving their mark on our Dreamland.
