Two warm-up acts, Jessica Hoop and Peter Alexander Jobson, set the scene for a wondrous evening of uplifting singalongs and at times, whimsical songs from headliners Elbow.

Elbow appeared to rapturous applause from the faithful, filling the BIC to bursting point. This band have grown from a cult following to a massive arena draw over the last twenty years, yet have maintained the high quality of their musical output.

Instead of wandering on to stage, rolling his sleeves up and enjoying a pint of beer like a favourite uncle, Guy Garvey and Elbow follow Peter Alexander Jobson on stage immediately with no interval. A constellation of strobes and lights announce their presence and Elbow launch into ‘Dexter & Sinister’, a two-drummer-led epic. Jesca Hoop returned to the stage to add epic vocal support in the vein of Clair Torrey, with Pink Floyd’s ‘great gig in the sky’.

This Tour should have taken place alongside the 2019 album ‘Giants Of All Sizes’, so the fans are now familiar with ‘new’ tracks ‘Dexter and Sinister’, ‘Empires’ and ‘Weightless’. An interesting departure from the Elbow path was ‘What Am I Without You’, the sole representative from the forthcoming album ‘Flying Dream 1’.

The lighting itself deserves a mention. A myriad of vary-lights, strobes, spot-banks lasers and even the ubiquitous mirror-ball were employed to enhance the music and emphasise the mood of each song.

There were so many peaks within the show, but ‘Sad Captains’ was my own high. Guy Garvey sings with the emotion demanded of the subject matter, complemented beautifully by the violins of Gita Langley and Fiona Brice, adding depth to the whole interpretation.

The encore naturally took in the two biggest audience-participation songs to ensure no one departed with a sense of wanting more. ‘Lippy Kids’ involved team whistling and the massed BIC voices responding with ‘Build A Rocket Boys’. ‘One Day Like This’ had to be the lighter waving (phones these days!), anthemic climax. Anyone who is Serious About Music cannot fail to have been moved by the diversity, emotion and sheer joy of this evening.