Live Review: Elbow x Teenage Cancer Trust – The Royal Albert Hall, 23/3/26
One day like this a year would see me right: Elbow began 2026’s program of Teenage Cancer Trust shows at the Royal Albert Hall with a glorious debut gig at the historical concert hall.
Bringing together a selection of the band’s vibrant recent material with emotionally resonant classics like ‘Lippy Kids’ and ‘One Day Like This’, it was an unforgettable beginning to this year’s Teenage Cancer Trust shows as Guy Garvey’s booming vocals and touching songwriting graced the Rpyal Albert Hall for the first time. The first act in a star-studded lineup handpicked by ‘Cureator’ Robert Smith, the storied British alternative rock act kicked off a week of sold-out music and comedy at the legendary venue, all raising funds for Teenage Cancer Trust’s vital work supporting and caring for young people with cancer.
Establishing the tone for the night was accordionist Nihad Hrustanbegovic, whose drifting notes were both eerie and beautiful, shifting from spectral melancholy to pointed intensity with ease.
Next onstage was MRCY, the duo of producer Barney Lister and vocalist Kojo Degraft-Johnson, bringing warm, soulful beats to the concert hall’s growing audience. Announced as a supreme concoction of everything from Marvin Gaye to Fela Kuti, the band didn’t disappoint, with the six onstage musicians delivering a suave cocktail of jazzy, neo-soul and afrobeat-inspired tracks. The smooth ‘RLM’ was a standout, putting Kojo’s remarkable vocal talents at the forefront of the slick track. The talented Yazmin Macey was brought out for a live debut of their recent collaboration ‘Better Days’, a groove-laden bop built around the silky duet of Yazmin and Kojo’s vocals, and the darker final track ‘Sierra’ left the crowd wanting more as the Royal Albert Hall bathed in rich harmonies for an undeniably triumphant closing to MRCY’s set.
A brief return from Hrustanbegovic and his accordion saw a striking rendition of ‘Friday I’m In Love’ before departing for a final time, the ode to his longtime friend Robert Smith complete.
With lights blaring and thunderous applause, Elbow took to the stage, the looming Guy Garvey parading around with a bravado that he would carry with him across the whole night. Alex Reeves’ crashing drums, Pete Turner’s piercing bassline and Mark Potter’s blaring guitar solos stole the show across their opening tracks ‘Things I’ve Been Telling Myself For Years’ and ‘Lovers’ Leap’, alongside the stellar contributions from their 5-strong horn and string section, who also doubled as a powerful choir of backing vocals. With influences including Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Beastie Boys and Sly and the Family Stone across their 2024 album AUDIO VERTIGO, the record was pure revelry in live performance, but it wasn’t long before the first big moment of the night came in the form of the skeletal ‘The Bones of You’ and ethereal ‘Mirrorball’ emanating across the Royal Albert Hall. With crescent moons lighting up the upper stalls and a colossal glistening mirror ball shining twinkling sparks around the concert hall, all arms waved back and forth for Elbow’s ultimate feel-good track.
Elbow are a band that’s never shied away from inscribing their left-leaning politics in song, most overtly in their 2005 album Leaders Of The Free World. “We live in a troubling age” Garvey whispers during the thudding ‘Her to the Earth’, the only track where Garvey consciously reflected on the state of the world on the otherwise deliberately politically avoidant AUDIO VERTIGO. Reflecting on the significance of the night's occasion, he later remarked “when there’s so much fear and division in the news, and madness… isn’t it wonderful that people get together and do things like the Teenage Cancer Trust?”.
Sliding from controlled chaos to softer sweetness with ease, the intense, groove-based rumblings of ‘Balu’ led into the unique moment of Elbow playing ‘Great Expectations’ for the first time this year, making it only the fifth time they’ve played the song over the last six years. The 2005 track was followed by the tenderest moment of the night as Elbow played ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’, the elegant waltz dedicated to the band’s long-departed friend Bryan Glancy, who also inspired the title for their 2008 Mercury Prize-winning album. Garvey spoke touchingly on his mind wandering back during the pandemic, writing the song imagining Garvey’s now-wife on a dancefloor with Glancy. Paired with keyboardist and producer Craig Potter’s beautiful, heartstring-pulling arrangement, the song was a powerful force live.
Stoking the crowd to its limit with the relentless march of ‘The Birds’, Elbow again showcased the dynamic range of their ten-album discography by dropping back down to the stately, keyboard-led opening of ‘Lippy Kids’. The glorious refrain “Build a rocket boys” came as a revelation as it echoed serenely over soothing backing vocals, with the eager crowd singing back the chorus line per Garvey’s request. It was clear Elbow’s powerful, almost cult-like live atmosphere had entirely enveloped the mythical concert hall.
Continuing this slew of singalong numbers through ‘My Sad Captains’ and ‘Magnificent (She Says)’, the head-banging classic ‘Grounds For Divorce’ rounded off their main setlist in furious style, before the steady build-up of ‘Station Approach’ prepared the crowd for the moment we’d all been waiting for. Heralded by Garvey directing crowd vocals into the long-awaited stirring of violins, ‘One Day Like This’ graced The Royal Albert Hall in all its glory, a moment nobody in attendance would forget anytime soon. One day like this a year indeed saw us all right.
Elbow have come a long way since they formed in Bury 35 years ago, and now they’ve conquered a long-awaited holdout in the pantheon of the capital’s most hallowed venues. Following their stunning first night, Teenage Cancer Trust’s week-long Royal Albert Hall takeover continues with performances by Manic Street Preachers, Garbage, and my bloody valentine, finishing with fellow Mercury Prize winners Wolf Alice playing the iconic venue for a high-flying finish this Sunday.
Words by Taran Will
Photo credit: John Stead
