Elbow (band)
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| Image:Elbow Picture.jpg |
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Bury, England | |
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock | |
| Years active | 1990–present | |
| Label(s) | V2 | |
| Website | http://www.elbow.co.uk/ | |
| Members | ||
| Guy Garvey Mark Potter Craig Potter Richard Jupp Pete Turner |
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Elbow is an alternative rock band that emerged from the late 1990s music scene in Manchester, England.
Acclaimed for their innovative sound and candid, evocative lyrics, Elbow has received vast critical acclaim and been endorsed by major artists Blur, R.E.M. and U2. The Velvet Underground's co-founder John Cale cited Elbow's "Switching Off" as one of the greatest songs ever written in a BBC interview. However, commercial success has yet to match Elbow's critical acclaim and status among fans.
Lead singer Guy Garvey met guitarist Mark Potter at a Sixth Form College in 1990 at the age of 16. Potter asked Garvey to sing in a band he was in with drummer Richard Jupp and bassist Pete Turner. Together, the four men formed the band Mr Soft. (The name was later changed to Soft.) Mark Potter's brother Craig Potter joined the band soon after on keyboards. By 1997, they had changed their name a third time to Elbow, signed a deal with Island Records, and recorded their debut album with producer Steve Osbourne. However, when Island was bought out by major label Universal, the band was dropped in a mass cull and the album never released.
They continued to record on the iconic independent label Uglyman, and released The Noisebox EP and The Newborn EP, which was given extensive airplay by BBC Radio 1 .
Their debut album, Asleep in the Back, released on V2 in 2001, was hailed as a seminal album of the new millennium, gaining them a Mercury Music Prize nomination and a Brit Award nomination. Their second album, Cast of Thousands - a reference to their performance at Glastonbury in 2002, when they recorded thousands of people singing, "We still believe in love, so fuck you" - sealed their reputation as innovators in UK music when released in 2003.
In 2004, Elbow went on an unofficial tour of Cuba, becoming the first British band ever to play a concert outside Havana. The tour was made into a short film by British documentary maker Irshad Ashraf.
Elbow's innovation in the studio has invited work with other bands, notably Editors and I Am Kloot, whose debut album was produced by Guy Garvey. Their third album, Leaders of the Free World, was entirely self-produced at Blueprint Studios in Salford, a space the band hired for the duration of their recording sessions. They teamed up with video artists The Soup Collective to produce an integrated music and video DVD.
They contributed the song "Snowball" to the 2005 War Child benefit album Help: a Day in the Life. In addition, an unreleased track titled "Beats For Two" was used in the closing titles of the 2004 film Inside I'm Dancing. Garvey also returned to I Am Kloot as co-producer for their single "Maybe I Should." He continues to work closely with Manchester indie label Skinny Dog.
Their acoustic cover of Destiny's Child's "Independent Women", recorded exclusively for a BBC Radio 1 session, was turned into a popular web animation by Rathergood.com's Joel Veitch. The animation features a band of flat-capped kittens "performing" the song.
Elbow discussed their latest album, as yet untitled, in the NME 06.01.07 edition. Its release date is Spring 2007, and is produced by guitarist Mark Potter. This, their 4th studio album, will contain "heavier", "darker" material with less input from producers and others not in the band. Tracks from this album were premiered at 2006's Summer Sundae festival.
In summer 2006, Elbow headlined the Ukula Bright Lights Festival in Toronto's Distillery District. Asked before the show about what he thought about his Manchester-influenced imagery in his songs, Guy Garvey said, "I think lyrics are one of the tools of the box in order to try and get the feeling across. I don’t think it matters if you use local imagery as long as it’s part of the bigger picture." [1]
Contents |
[edit] Band members
- Guy Garvey: lead vocals, guitar, lyrics
- Mark Potter: guitar, backing vocals
- Craig Potter: keyboards, organ, backing vocals
- Pete Turner: bass guitar
- Richard Jupp: drums
- Zac Monaco: violin
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
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[edit] UK singles & EPs
All positions are from the UK Singles Chart.
Early releases:
- "The Noisebox EP" (1998)
- "Newborn" (2000)
- "Any Day Now" (2001)
From Asleep in the Back:
- "Red" (2001) #36
- "Powder Blue" (2001) #41
- "Newborn" (2001) #41
- "Asleep in the Back"/"Coming Second" (2002) #19
From Cast Of Thousands:
- "Fallen Angel" (2003) #19
- "Fugitive Motel" (2003) #44
- "Ribcage"/"Fugitive Motel" limited edition 7" (2003)
- "Not a Job" (2004) #26
- "Grace Under Pressure"/"Switching Off" (2004)
From Leaders of the Free World:
- "Forget Myself" (2005) #22
- "Leaders of the Free World" (2005) #53
