Elbow Light Up Westonbirt with Emotion, Elegance, and Summer Soundscapes
- Sam Holt
- Jun 22
- 3 min read
Westonbirt Arboretum, 19th June 2025
IMAGES / WORDS SAM HOLT
Forest Live was new to me, but I gather they’re behind some great shows in spectacular settings across the country. For tonight’s show, I’m at Westonbirt Arboretum, close to the Cotswold town of Tetbury in Gloucestershire. Bury’s Elbow headline tonight, with Yorkshire’s Billie Marten and The Coral from the Wirral providing support.
Billie Marten, a young singer-songwriter, takes to the stage at 6:45 p.m. Commanding such a presence on stage is impressive. Billie’s style is a mix of several genres — folk, acoustic — while still leaning towards indie. Her set is unfortunately a short one, but it goes down well. It includes several songs from her upcoming album due for release next month, and even features a guest spot from a well-known singer appearing later tonight.
The Coral, from the Wirral, have been playing as a band since the '90s, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that they began releasing much of their music. These five lads from Hoylake have moved beyond the ‘jingly-jangly’ sound of In the Morning to evolve their style — yet still retain the appeal they’ve always had. It’s quite the set of classics, including Jacqueline and Pass It On, but for me, I especially loved their version of People Are Strange, a cover of The Doors. It’s a great addition to their set and very much in keeping with their '60s-inspired psychedelia/indie style, which they do so well. The pounding bassline of Dreaming of You was instantly recognisable — and a great way to end their set.
As the lights go down for Elbow, the anticipation builds. The band takes the stage, opening with Starlings — immediately captivating the crowd — before moving into a fantastic rendition of Lovers’ Leap. I really enjoyed Balu, which is fast becoming one of my favourites from the new album. Much of the set comes from the phenomenal Seldom Seen Kid album, but they also used the show to showcase tracks from Audio Vertigo, released recently.
Between songs, Guy Garvey shares anecdotes and intros to the next track. Introducing The Seldom Seen Kid from their 2021 album Flying Dream 1, Garvey explains it was written during lockdown — a time when the band had to write music individually and send pieces to one another. In this case, a beautiful instrumental landed in his inbox, and he wrote lyrics inspired by a close friend. It was clearly very emotional for him to sing.
In another moment, Garvey spoke about Real World Studios and the friendships formed there over the years — including with the band Editors, who were in attendance tonight as guests. I wonder if anyone caught their music being played over the PA between acts?
Elbow chose to close their set with Grounds for Divorce — the culmination of a set that offered a varied selection of their work, all of which was enthusiastically received judging by the audience's participation.
Musically, their style is effortlessly constructed and arranged. Throughout the set, each band member got a mention and a moment to shine on a hot summer night. But for many, it’s Guy Garvey’s vocals that stand out — not only moving but, dare I say, haunting — especially in their earlier work. The new album reflects a band that’s continuing to evolve and includes some standout tracks that I’m sure will become classics with time.
It had been a great night of music in the beautiful setting of Westonbirt Arboretum.
Elbow Set List
Starlings
Lovers’ Leap
Adriana Again
Kindling
Switching Off
Her to the Earth
Balu
Good Morning Mexico City
The Seldom Seen Kid
Weather to Fly
Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years
The Birds
Lippy Kids
My Sad Captains
Magnificent [She Says]
Sober
Grounds for Divorce
Encore:
Mirrorball
One Day Like This
FOLLOW ELBOW
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