Concertgoers and 9:30 Club patrons queued around the block before the doors opened for English rock band Elbow’s sold-out performance on Friday, September 26th, 2025, the first night of the band’s US and Canada tour this fall.

The crowd slowly but surely crept in from the heat, phone flashlights cutting through the fog in the room as opener Josee Molavi greeted them to the venue. “Front of house always sounds better,” a man commented to his wife as they went up the stairs to 9:30’s upper balcony during Molavi’s performance. The excitement and anticipation was palpable in the air.

Equipped with just a microphone and an electric guitar, Josee Molavi and guitarist Jack Yearwood immediately took hold of the room’s energy and took control of the stage. It amazed me how well the two played off of each other’s energy, especially as only two people on stage. There was almost no need for any other instruments, since Molavi’s silky smooth voice does just the trick to convey the intricate rhythms and soul-inspired vibe of her music. The local artist not only knows how to capture the attention of the entire venue, but she also knows how to leverage it to amplify her performance even further.

“This is all we’ve dreamed of doing,” Molavi told the crowd after stunning performances of her songs Figure in Blue, Harmony, and Altar. Molavi rounded off her set with a Broadway-esque bow and left the crowd more than prepared to receive Elbow on stage.

In an interview after her set, Molavi told us that her song Altar always “feels wild” to play on stage. “It’s about how the world is burning and [how] it’s really hard to be a person. I always enjoy seeing the people in the audience kind of get what I mean,” she said.

Both Molavi and Yearwood urge fans to support local music, reminding us that the 9:30 Club is a great way to see bands at all stages of their careers– whether it’s debuting at the Club for the first time or returning for a sixth appearance like Elbow, the 9:30 Club is a really exciting way to experience live music the old-fashioned way.

The excitement reached a crescendo when Elbow took the stage once again at the 9:30 Club. Elbow has a powerful live sound and an effortless stage presence led by frontman Guy Garvey. Their tour-opening performance attracted people from everywhere and every stage of life– from day-one fans to  kids attending with their parents. From their more upbeat songs like Things I’ve Been Telling Myself For Years, Magnificent, and Grounds for Divorce to slower, more contemplative songs like Mirrorball, Kindling, and Lippy Kids, Elbow brought an emotional performance to the 9:30 Club stage, and the audience was having every bit of it.

The band featured core members, frontman and vocalist Guy Garvey; pianist Craig Potter, guitarist Mark Potter, Richard Jupp on the drums, and Pete Turner on the bass. Elbow was backed up by a powerful all-female quartet on backup vocals, horns, and strings, which Garvey introduced as Cat Parker, Fiona Brice, Sarah Field, and Carol Jarvis.

The crowd was one of the most participatory and engaged crowds I’ve seen in a long time. A sold-out show at the 9:30 Club is always an incredible experience, but whenever Garvey prompted the crowd to sing words back to him, the audience put their whole chests into it. There were some chill-inducing moments, especially as the audience sang the refrain of Lippy Kids, “build a rocket, boys!” 

During Mirrorball, the stage was bathed in blue light as white sparkles of light swirled around the room–a real mirrorball helping the ambience. An otherwise thunderous crowd took the chance to step back with Garvey leading, enjoying the energy of the room and the wonder prompted by the band’s mastery of sound.

Of course, being from Bury, Manchester in England, the band had to poke some fun at us Americans. Garvey remarked how nice it was to be able to come back and play the “half-past nine club” and gave the audience a few opportunities to practice their northern English accents throughout the show. Garvey praised the club, saying that he had drunkenly designed a perfect venue, and when he sobered up, it looked just like the 9:30 Club, prompting audience cheers as the band began to play The Bones of You. It was obvious throughout the show that the love and respect was mutual– Garvey spoke more seriously during the show about how much the 9:30 Club means to them, and how he feels it is one of the best venues in the world.

Elbow’s lyrics are well-written and full of emotion, and that emotion absolutely comes through in live performance. In particular, before the band performed Sober, Garvey talked about his experience being a new father and his relationship to sobriety, a very poignant moment during the show. During the show, not only did he toast Bryan Clancy– a fellow Manchester singer/songwriter to whom Garvey dedicated Elbow’s album The Seldom Seen Kid– but he also encouraged the audience to enjoy the moments they have with each other.

In the spirit of enjoying the moment, Garvey conducted the crowd in an outrageous sing-along during the closing number, One Day Like This. Each section of the crowd had a different note to sing, with the balconies responsible for a sliding note conducted by a member of the audience for the intro to the song. After a few practice rounds, Garvey asked the fan-conductor if they thought they were ready to begin, and upon a positive reaction, the last song of the evening kicked off in a spectacular moment of unity among strangers.

We wish the moments we had with Elbow could last forever– and we hope we don’t have to wait another five years for their next appearance in the District. We were also grateful for the chance to watch Molavi make her debut performance at the 9:30 Club, and we look forward to keeping up with her in future performances. Read below for a more in-depth interview with Molavi and Yearwood.

Bonus DCMR Exclusive

Right after Josee Molavi and Jack Yearwood's breakthrough debut performance at the 9:30 Club, we had the pleasure of sitting down with them and getting their thoughts about their performance.  

DCMR: What was the first thing that went through your head when you found out you’d be playing the 9:30 Club?

Josee: It’s actually a really funny story. I was in Albania, and Jack texted me at, like, 1:30 in the morning and was like, “Did you see the 9:30 Club email?” and I was like, “What?!” We just started texting like crazy, and I was trying to FaceTime them, but like, Albania? Wi-Fi? It was not working. So I went around my homestay area and was freaking out, and my homestay host, he didn’t speak much English. He was like, “What is happening?” and I was trying to explain, but he didn’t understand. It was just very, like, ‘oh my god.’

Jack: For me, it was a lot of disbelief. I was like, this has to be a scam or an accident. Or some like, glitch email or something.

Josee: Something that would put malware on your computer. (laughs)

Jack: I think even up until, like, last week, I didn’t really process that oh yeah, I will be playing the 9:30 Club soon. Yeah. So I do feel like it snuck up on me I guess in a good way, because I wasn’t too too nervous.

DCMR: What do you hope the audience took away from your performance tonight?

Josee: I hope that they continue to engage with us, because they seem like a really dedicated crowd for Elbow. And we’re right here in their backyard, we perform all the time! I hope that people remember [my performance] and be like, oh, those people opened for Elbow, they were really good, they’re local.

Jack: I hope they also take away: support live music. There are some really great artists in people’s backyards, regardless of where they are, but especially in DC. It’s fun to take a chance on a local artist, just being like “Oh, man, this person is from the area I live in, I wanna go see them.” It’s a really exciting way to experience music outside of the Spotify algorithm.

DCMR: What message would you give other DC musicians dreaming about hitting this stage?

Josee: I always say that I don’t think it’s the most compelling or the most talented people that move the farthest; I think it’s the most persistent. I think talented and compelling people can move forward if they’re persistent, but if they’re not, then it’s really tough. I think just being your own personal advocate and really putting your foot in whatever door you can get in is great. Having the Atlantis on our resume was definitely a selling point for this. Stay consistent and persistent, and just believe in yourself, and don’t be afraid to tell people what you think of yourself. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn, because how would I be on the stage if I wasn’t?

Our hearts are certainly beaming with pride and joy for Josee Molavi, Jack Yearwood, and the entirety of their band as they shared the stage with such a legendary act.  We look forward to hearing more from Molavi in the months and years to come.