When Elles Bailey returns for her encore tonight, she thanks the crowd for allowing her to do what she wants to do, and what she loves to do. Live music, she says, is precious. It needs to be cherished. That connection between the band and the audience, that thing they create together, cannot be replicated.
We could probably finish the review there, because that, essentially, is what Elles Bailey is about.
We won’t, though. There are some brilliant songs to discuss, and a quite phenomenal band playing them.
Her latest album, “Can’t Take My Story Away”, was made over a three-year period with producer Luke Potashnick, of The Temperance Movement, and others. When she sings its title track to open tonight’s show, it feels as though her whole life is in those words. There is something about the way Bailey delivers a song that makes it feel like she is telling you personally, even in a room full of people.
“Growing Roots” is warm, welcoming and wonderfully soulful, but this is also the first opportunity to mention Joe Wilkins. It will not be the last. His guitar playing is sensational, finding exactly what each song needs and giving it something extra.
“Better Days”, written by her much-missed friend Matt Long, is a celebration of his music as much as it is a tribute. There is sadness in its story, of course, but there is soul here too, and a message of hope that we could all do with hearing in these times.
“How Do You Do It” leans more towards bluesy country, but there is something special about it tonight. Demi Marriner’s harmonies lift it into another sphere altogether. She is integral to this band, and the way their voices work together is one of the evening’s great pleasures.
“Enjoy the Ride” is back in the set for this run, and Bailey calls it her mantra. Sitting as close to the stage as I am tonight, closer than I usually get to, you can see something that might sound trivial but really isn’t: how much these people like each other.
There are smiles, laughs and little in-jokes between songs and between the musical passages. They enjoy being here, and that matters. At one point, Bailey literally jumps for joy (picture below). If ever there was a moment that summed up the spirit of the evening, that was it.
“Leave the Light On” brings things back to the personal. It is about her husband, at home looking after their little one while she gets to be out here doing this. That honesty runs throughout the show. These songs come from a life being lived, with all the compromises and gratitude that entails.
And if you are going to tackle “Drift Away”, you had better be good. Trust me, these are.
“Cheats and Liars” brings a sharper edge. Bailey explains that it has taken on a life of its own on TikTok, with some 16 million views, apparently, many of them in America. You can probably guess the sort of content a song with that title gets used for. Is Elles angry? Does she ever get angry? There is certainly plenty to be angry about, and the song has lost none of its bite.
“Constant Need to Keep Going” returns us to the new album. It said what she needed it to say in the moment, she explains, and that sense of a song serving a purpose beyond entertainment is never far away tonight. A word here, too, for Dan Moore of Phantom Limb, deputising on keyboards for the usual Jonny Henderson. He is a brilliant replacement.
Speaking of brilliant, “Ballad of a Broken Dream” might be MV’s favourite Elles Bailey song. Tonight, though, it comes with an emotional ending. She talks about raising money for a hospice after losing someone close, and I hope she doesn’t mind me saying that the emotion is plain to see.
By this point, everyone in the room feels like a friend, and you feel for her. Hopefully, on this first night back, playing these songs offers something cathartic. That is for her to know, but as someone who couldn’t finish his best man’s speech at his brother’s wedding almost three years after losing their mother, I can empathise.
“Let It Burn” sees Moore taking the parts Bailey would normally play, while Wilkins gives us another reason to underline just how good he is. “Tightrope” has become a fan favourite, with people messaging her about what it means to them. Her openness about mental health gives it a particular resonance, and “Love Yourself” feels almost like its follow-up: learning to find a little kindness for yourself. It is wonderfully uplifting.
“If This Is Love” sounds so familiar that you almost have to check it isn’t a cover. Bailey leaves the stage and lets the band finish, something I have seen Van Morrison do, among others. Marriner’s vocals here are sensational, bringing the main set to a glorious close.
After that reminder of why live music matters, “Halfway House” builds you up before bringing you right back down. To get everyone up again, “Take a Step Back” is just what is required. Elles drinks from a flask of what looks like tea and smiles, “It’s only rock ’n’ roll, but I like it.” Demi supplies the cowbell. Naturally, that makes it even more rock ’n’ roll.
Over the last decade or so, Elles Bailey has become one of this country’s finest voices and songwriters, with one of its finest bands. She might not be playing Wembley Stadium, but she doesn’t need to. She just needs to be exactly what she is.
I have seen her twice on this tour. There aren’t many artists I do that for: Iron Maiden, Therapy?, The Wildhearts, Quireboys. My favourites, basically. Elles Bailey belongs in that company.
This first night of the new run proves why. She jumped for joy. The rest of us knew exactly how she felt.
