Back in April 2012, I reviewed Example at Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, so it’s only fitting I review the latest visit of Elliot Gleave to the capital city of Wales.

Click here for more photos from the night

It’s the fifth time of seeing him (supporting Lily Allen and as part of the Summertime Ball last year), so I kind of get what he’s about. He’s like a mini rave in a can and there’s no doubt that the worshippers to the throne of EG get their money’s worth.

Kicking it off with “Kickstarts”, all the way through the big hitters of his three hit albums, there can be little doubt that there’s a lot of love in that room on a Monday night. Maybe from time to time I get slightly cynical when an artist says “you’re the best we’ve had on this tour”, well okay that might be to do with the amount of gigs I’ve been to, and to his credit, he never uttered those words all night. Instead we were “raving on a Monday night” (I’ve paraphrased that slightly).

It’s been brilliant to watch him develop as an artist & performer too. Back when he supported Lily Allen in the very same room he commanded it the same way then as now. The main difference is the quality of the song writing/producing.  From “Watch the sun come up” to “Say nothing” the difference is palpable. From small venues, to arenas, to festivals, you get an air of confidence he’s comfortable anywhere – although it’s interesting to note the way the staging how small an area it was – plus the first time he’s had big screens in the arena – someone’s making a bit of cash now

Stand out moments of the night have to be “Playing in the Shadows”, “See the sea”, “We’ll be coming back” (although I did think he was a bit flat at this point… or was it the acoustics…), “Say nothing”, which if you’ve ever seen Coldplay live and the audience participation of Viva La Vida, you’ll understand why I love this so much now. Not forgetting his biggest song to date, and one I can get 9765 on Singstar on, “Changed the way you kiss me”.

Whatever happened in between “Kickstarts” and “Changed the way you kiss me”, proves that it doesn’t matter the size of the venue or the staging, all that matters is that there’s a connection between you and the song, and for the 5,000 plus people within Motorpoint Arena Cardiff last night, that connection was a strong as ever.

Elliot – you’re a shining example of how it should be done!

Setlist (as much as I can recall)

Kickstarts
Won’t Go Quietly
See the Sea
Stay Awake
Come Taste the Rainbow
Midnight Run
Playing in the Shadows
Under the Influence
Shot Yourself in the Foot Again
Close Enemies
Let’s Be F**king Stupid
Hooligans
Watch the Sun Come Up
We’ll Be Coming Back Again
Say Nothing

Encore:
Natural Disaster
The Way
Perfect Replacement
Changed the Way You Kiss Me

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBsehN5zN14]

As a footnote, can I thank the person in St Davids 2 Carpark who lent me 10p. I’d kept enough change for the machine, put it all in, but was 10p short (machine missed a coin maybe?). Went to pay with a £10 note, found the note bit not working, was about to put in my debit card – yes for 10p – when the guy behind offered me 10p to pay… so thank you. And the lesson is… make sure you have enough change!
Patrick Downes is a former head of music, producer, and commercial radio presenter with 16 years airtime, and is now part of the  community radio station at Bro Radio in Vale of Glamorgan, UK. Check out his facebook page at www.soof.co.uk

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