Seldom Seen Never Bettered

Interview with ELBOW

by Kev Heath

It is rare that a British band receive unanimous praise wherever they go, its even rarer to have that accolade and not be one of the worlds best selling bands but Elbow are diamonds in the rough of the music industry.

The Manchester five piece have such critical acclaim it keeps Chris Martin awake at night, he won’t speak to Gywneth for days if a new Elbow album is coming out. They have never been the type of vogue band to grace magazine covers or appear on The Lily Allen show but Elbow were once a band too often ignored and overlooked.

That all changed however after their fourth Studio album the ‘Seldom Seen Kid’ won them the 2008 Mecury Music Award and the long over due recognition they deserved.

LF had the honour to catch up with Guy Garvey just before he packed his bags to go on tour.

The Manchester music scene is a bit like one big family, with artists like Stephen Fretwell, Liam Frost, Badly Drawn Boy and bands like Doves, I am Kloot, Nine Black Alps, do you hang out with some of these artists/cross paths, exchange ideas etc.

Very nearly all of the above. Stephen Fretwell is a good friend of ours. Steve and I both talked up Liam Frost who's also a mate. I Am Kloot are some of our best friends and I produced their first album. I've had a beer with everyone you've mentioned above. We all look after each other.

You have been described as Mr Manchester, is that a title you feel comfortable with?

No, but only because the title belongs to Tony Wilson. I am fiercely proud of this wonderful city though.

How did the collaboration with Richard Hawley go, and how did this come about?

Hawley and I bonded over a game of Battleships. At 30,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, we got very drunk on Tennessee whisky and agreed on a duet. It was great fun and the rest is history.

Do you enjoy the recording process, how do you keep it fresh?

Funnily enough we were picking through an old session today listening to individual tracks from the latest album. None of us can remember recording some of the instruments involved. It's what we do 9-5, sometimes it's exciting, sometimes boring. It's not a proper job
though.

You are going back stateside in April, how do the American audiences take to you?

There are just as many beautiful freethinking individuals Stateside as there are anywhere else. All our fans are great people; they're all big softies, we love it.

What is your favourite tour story?

Every now and then Craig Potter and our tour manager Tom Piper have a drunken sprint. Tom is incredibly physically fit, but never wins the race for laughing at Craig's uncanny speed. Craig used to be a rugby player and despite being huge he moves like the f*cking wind. It's hysterically funny.

Guy, your 6music radio show is a brilliant mix of brand new music and old hidden gems, was it hard to make the transition to DJ. What do you think to Dylan's Theme Time Hour?

Dylan's radio programme is one of the best on the air. I love doing my radio show. I love sharing music I’ve found, hearing new stuff and interviewing song writers that I think are brilliant (between you and me I'd do it for free).

What sources of inspiration have you taken for the new album 'The Seldom Seen Kid'?

In terms of big events for the past 2 and half years.... our friend singer songwriter Bryan Glancy died and we left our record label. Balancing that, and then Evan and Murray Potter were born, we got a new record label and I fell in love. The influences can be as small as Peter losing his keys one Wednesday in 2007 and writing a particularly disgruntled bass line that day. Whether it's an international disaster or a silly idiosyncrasy it's all in there.

Did you have any input into the direction of the video for Grounds for Divorce, have you ever written or had creative input in any of your videos?

We enjoyed making Grounds for Divorce and we always have a bit of input into our videos. Depending on what the idea is, it can be a fun day out or you may not be involved at all. The video for our next single is a very touching short film that just happens to fit the song perfectly.

Do you feel that you critical acclaim and cult status has sometimes hampered your mainstream success?

We've lived off music for 10 years comfortably. We've seen tonnes of bands completely outsell us then disappear. I'm really happy it's been steady for us. It means we haven't compromised musically.

What is the most ridiculous rumour you have read about yourselves?

I once read a rumour that I'd slept with Cat Deeley!

You seem like a man who would make an excellent cup of tea, an admirable quality in our opinion, do you have any special skills that would surprise your army of fans? Also what biscuits would one dip?

I am the tea-f*cking master. Here's a tip (no pun intended): in order to get a decent cup of tea in the States, the proper name for what the British accept as a common gardener tea is 'orange pekoe and black tip', also 'Nice' biscuits are the best.

You have been one of Britain's most impressively consistent bands of the last decade; do you feel your best work is still ahead of you?

I think Elbow are yet to do their best work.

What do you think the best Elbow song to dance to would be? Snooks or Mexican Standoff or neither?

Snooks as it has a dance hall beat.

To listen to Elbow click here