Elbow

UEA LCR, Norwich

Guy Garzey looks like an unlikely rock star. He's wearing baggy jeans, a white T-shirt, and what might be described as a tanktop - which he says is from Marks and Spencer.

Dress sense aside, Elbow have often been compared with Coldplay, both to praise them and to damn them.

But last night they showed they have a sound all their own.

The Manchester five-piece are always at their best when playing live, and this was no exception.

The band's trademark is their layered sound, which came across brilliantly. The set opened with Station Approach, which patiently builds to an ear-splitting crescendo. The title track from Leaders Of The Free World, with it's angry digs at Bush and Blair, is greeted with delight as a chance to clap along. For a song so full of bitterness, it is a surprisingly cheery performance.

While their second album, Cast Of Thousands, touches on the pain of being away from the place you love, many of last night's songs, from Leaders Of The Free World, are about a joyous homecoming. And last night, Elbow might have been 200 miles from home, but the crowd welcomed them as if they were their own.