elvana

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Elvis fronted Nirvana or Elvana as they are known took to the stage at a packed out o2 in Leeds to deliver a mammoth two hour set that was one of the strangest, most high energy but best performances I have seen all year.

First up on the stage was the Newcastle synth-pop band Bandaged Moon. The band delivered a fantastic thirty-minute set that got the crowd moving and dancing warming them up perfectly for Elvana.

After a short break it was time for the headliners Elvana. The band tore onto the stage and instantly turned things up to eleven with Nirvanas ‘Territorial Pissing’ getting the venue bouncing from the off. Elvana continued the high energy playing a range of Elvis and Nirvana songs with the front man Elvis expertly working the crowd keeping everybody jumping throughout. 

It was around a third of the way into the set that things started to get strange with a phrase that I admittedly never thought I would hear was coined. However it did become reality and there really was an Elvis Presley circle pit which had the crowd spinning up a frenzy along to the song ‘Blue Suede Shoes’. This was quickly followed by the classic Nirvana track ‘Rape Me’ keeping the crowd bouncing. 

Elvis took a quick break at this point and the crowd were treated to a song from the lead guitarist. One costume change later and Elvis returned to the stage and again powered through a range of Elvis and Nirvana songs keeping the energy at 100%. One of the major highlights of the night came when Elvana started playing the fantastic ‘A Little Less Conversation’ which really got the venue rocking however the band then transferred seamlessly into ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ which figuratively and almost literally took the roof of the place. 

After one more track he band left the stage however the absence was short lived and Elvis returned to the stage and treated the crowd to Nirvanas Acoustic track ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’. This was followed by another very strange moment. Elvis hosted the Elvana Miss World Pageant and introduced the rest of the band in a pageant style and even Elvis had to admit that this was weird. Elvis then left the stage again and the backing singer took the lead with the song ‘Miss World’.

After one final costume change Elvis returned to the stage for the final leg of the gig and despite Elvana closing in on the two hour mark the energy was not dipping and they were still going at 100% as was the crowd. During the Nirvana Song ‘Heart Shaped Box’ Elvis made the slightly risky decision to come out right into the middle of the audience and bounced and partied with the crowd. 

Elvana closed the show with my personal favourite Elvis song ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ and two classic Nirvana tracks, ‘Lithium’ and ‘All Apologies’. It was during he last two tracks that the giant balloons were released and these bounced around with the crowd until the end of the show. 

All Reasonable logit dictates that an Elvis fronted Nirvana band should not work but for some strange reason it does and in spectacular fashion. It is also clear that whilst this is in effect a glorified tribute band these are clearly supremely talented musicians. If you have even a passing interest in either Elvis or Nirvana, or if you just want to have a fantastic action packed evening you should definitely go and see Elvana. 

Set List:

Territorial Pissing

That’s Alright Mamma

In Bloom

School/In The Ghetto

Silver

Breed/Las Vegas

Drain You

Blue Suede Shoes

Rape Me/Tender

Mollys Lips

Trouble/Stay Away

Scentless Apprentice

Polly

A Little Less Conversation/Smells Like Teen Spirit

Come As You Are

Where Did You Sleep Last night

Miss World

Can’t Help Falling In Love/Heart Shaped Box

Lounge Act

About a Girl/Now or Never

Heartbreak Hotel/Lithium

All Apologies 

https://www.elvana.co.uk

Divine Comedy front man and writer, Neil Hannon with a revolving door of musicians, has for many years consistently produced some of the greatest tunes of a generation. Witty, incisive lyrics, often with a poignant edge, combined with great musician ship over there 29 years (so far!) have ensured that they will always have a loyal fanbase and having the opportunity to see them live is an opportunity not to be missed.

Earlier this year The Divine Comedy released their 12th album ‘Office Politics’ to widespread critical acclaim and rightly so, and tonight Leeds Beckett welcomed back The Divine Comedy on the ‘Office Politics’ tour. 

The stage was set up to resemble a sort of 80’s style office and as you would expect, the band trooped on through the ‘In’ door quickly followed by Neil Hannon and it was straight into ‘Europop’ from their ‘Liberation’ album with it’s synth heavy beat, which immediately got the crowd moving.

Naturally this set heavily featured tracks from their new album, which on occasion can be a risky strategy for any band, but there were no problems here. Already the new tunes sound like they’ve been around for ages and as soon as they dived into the worryingly catchy ‘Queue Jumper’ this went down a storm with the audience. 

Standout track from the new album for me is ‘Norman & Norma’ the ordinary story of a couple who marry, have children, and the live version was sublimely delivered. Song writing of this level has always reminded me of Squeeze at their very best. 

Other new tracks ‘Infernal Machines’ and ‘You’ll Never Work In This Town Again’ confirmed that The Divine Comedy are still very much at the top of their game, and of course an acoustic version of ‘A Lady Of A Certain Age’ was just another of the many highlights of the evening. 

‘Indie Disco’ ramped up proceedings with the introduction of party hats (no expense spared!) and the uplifting ‘National Express’ of course had the entire crowd singing along. 

I was particularly impressed with their live version of ‘Removal Company’ which unless I’m very much mistaken, used looping to great effect, as well as an orchestral/choral element for good measure.

One thing to mention before I go, if you are fortunate enough to catch this band live, DO NOT leave before the encore. ‘Your Daddy’s Car’, ‘Songs Of Love’ and ‘Tonight We Fly’ are the perfect end to a perfect evening. 

The Divine Comedy like fine wine, seem to get better and better as far as I’m concerned, and we’re already looking forward to the next album and tour

Set list:

·  Europop

·  Queue Jumper

·  Generation Sex

·  Commuter Love

·  Norman & Norma

·  Come Home Billy Bird

·  Infernal Machines

·  You’ll Never Work In This Town Again

·  I’m A Stranger Here

·  A Lady Of A Certain Age

·  Absolute Obsolete

·  At The Indie Disco

·  I Like

·  National Express

·  The Life And Soul Of The Party

·  A Feather In Your Cap

·  Philip & Steve’s Furniture Removal Company

·  Absent Friends

·  When The Working Day Is Done

·  Your Daddys Car

·  Songs Of Love

·  Tonight We Fly

https://thedivinecomedy.com