Review by Kate Prendergast

Nick Mulvey opens the stage to an almost full house with his hypnotic acoustic laid-back set. The Mercury Prize nominee kicks off with ‘April’; the haunting song captivating the crowd and evoking one of those real ‘hair on the back of your neck’ moments. He takes up the tempo with ‘Meet Me There’, showcasing his range and displaying the talents of the rest of his band members and how they all work together in complete synergy.

The Roundhouse is the perfect setting for the talented musician to play through songs from his Mercury Prize nominated album, First Mind. When he plays ‘I Don’t Want To Go Home’ it is a standout solo performance, with just the spotlight on Mulvey he holds the crowd’s attention in a mesmerising and majestic way. Other standout tracks, such as ‘Nitrous’ and ‘Fever To The Form’ pick up the pace of his set and he closes with the beautifully crafted ‘Cucurucu’, displaying his striking sound and melodies to the crowd.

The Roundhouse is now filled to full capacity and the atmosphere is electric with anticipation. Elbow open just as you’d expect…with the orchestra playing and the band arriving on stage with a drink in hand (you can take the lad out of Manchester). They kick off with ‘Charge’ from their latest album The Take Off And Landing of Everything. Their sound and presence is perfectly suited to the stunning surroundings of the Roundhouse.

Elbow engage the crowd and pick up the tempo with the audience clapping and swaying in unison. They whizz through their hits ‘The Bones Of You,’ ‘Grounds For Divorce’ and atmospheric big ballad ‘New York Morning’. They close their main set with the reflective ‘My Sad Captains,’ which has just the right tone for the end of the night, evoking memories of friends and last orders at the bar.

Of course, Elbow couldn’t get away without playing “The Song” and return to the stage for an encore to rapturous applause and finish the 1 hr 12 minute set with ‘One Day Like This.’ What a good start to the weekend. The crowd all disperse with smiles on their faces. We even spotted Sherlock himself! Now we just need to call Elbow so that they can lay down a Destiny’s Child duet with Mr.Cumberbatch himself – we’d all like to see them duet to ‘Independent Women.’

Photos by iTunes Festival, London.

The iTunes Festival continues throughout the month of September. Keep posted to SupaJam for all the reviews and news on this musical feast.