The seldom seen Mr Nice Guy

By Andy Welch

IT'S funny how some people in music get certain reputations. Few of us know Sting personally but he's generally regarded as being a smug, rather self-obsessed character, while there surely can't be many parents who'd be happy welcoming a rapper into their house as a prospective son-in-law.

Guy Garvey has his own tag too. Anyone who's met the towering lead singer of Manchester stalwarts Elbow is sure to tell you what a nice bloke he is, while it's virtually impossible to find an article about the man that doesn't feature some reference to his famed affability.

This feature is going to be no different either, for Guy is possibly one of the most amiable men you could wish to encounter.

Open and honest, he cuts a refreshing figure and during our conversation mixes deep, serious moments with light-hearted anecdotes and jokes - filthy jokes.

"That's just my sense of humour. But you cannot quote any of it," he says, laughing.

The band formed after Guy met guitarist Mark Potter at sixth form college in 1990. Mark asked Guy if he'd sing in a band he was trying to get started with bassist Pete Turner and drummer Richard Jupp. The quartet soon became a five when they roped in Mark's brother, Craig, to play keyboards.

In 1997, they were signed to a major label and recorded an album but, due to a buyout, they were dropped and the album never saw the light of day.

They then released a handful of well-received EPs and, by the end of 2001, were hailed as one of the best bands in Britain, thanks to their Mercury Prize-nominated debut album, Asleep In The Back.

Cast Of Thousands followed in 2003 and in 2005 the band unveiled their third set, Leaders Of The Free World, both to rapturous praise from the music press. Elbow's record sales, however, have yet to match the heights of their reviews or the affections of their loyal fanbase.

But The Seldom Seen Kid, the band's forthcoming fourth LP, is being tipped as the album to change their commercial fortunes.

They've already clocked up an appearance on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross with current single Grounds For Divorce, getting them all-important exposure and the song is also playlisted on the nation's biggest radio stations. The signs are good but does Guy think 2008 could be Elbow's year?

"It's all been said before," he says, smiling, "so I don't take a lot of notice for that very reason.

"For me, the nicest thing is seeing bands who've come after us taking influence from our music. Sometimes they'll admit to it but, other times, I'll just hear a lyric in a song and I just know that it's been inspired by something we've written," he continues, before explaining the way things work on the Manchester music scene.

"I remember being helped out by Doves in a big, big way in the early days and I remember ex-Stone Roses bassist Mani shaking Pete's hand for the first time and bowing to us very publicly. That meant a lot.

"Manchester bands look after each other, so it's nice to be in a position now where I can help people through. It's so much better than slagging each other because everyone realises it's so hard to get to the point where you release a record.

"I met Liam Fray from hotly tipped Manchester band The Courteeners the other week. He's a very nice fella, I like them a lot.

"I'd also watch out for Liz Green, Josephine Oniyama and Nancy Elizabeth too. There's loads going on up there to buzz about."

Some bands would kill to be in Elbow's position. They've got critics and ever-reliable fans salivating at the prospect of new music and are well respected enough to be able to help out other bands they like. But is Guy happy with his position as one of Manchester's musical elder statesman? Would he swap it for huge commercial success?

"If you'd asked us when we were 16 or 17, world domination was definitely the plan," admits Guy. "We'd all watched U2 tour documentary Rattle And Hum and would often talk about what would happen when it was our turn.

"That was definitely the plan then but, these days, we've got families and we don't want to be away. Having said that, we want our music to reach as many people as possible - we make big music and it deserves a big arena."

The music of The Seldom Seen Kid might just be their most epic-sounding yet.

From the album's opening Starlings, then The Bones Of You, through to closing track, Friend Of Ours, there's a veritable feast of orchestration, layering of sounds and Garvey's trademark soaring vocals.

One critic remarked the Bury-born frontman could sing a gas bill and make it sound moving and it's hard to disagree.

Thematically, the album is a contemplative affair, largely due to some tragic circumstances affecting the band.

"Yeah, a friend of ours died at the beginning of making the album. Far too young and it was a total shocker for us all," he says, frankly. "Elbow have also been busy having babies - the Potter brothers have two sons each and Richard has a son too.

"The negative and the positive things that have happened since our last record have one thing in common - they've all made us contemplate our place in the world and how long we're going to be here, so we're asking a lot of big questions on this album, about life, death and all that stuff.

"I think it's fine to ask smaller questions than that, too, like what time are we going out, or what are you drinking, or do you want to go to the chippy but we're an album band and we've made a great big album."

Lead single, Grounds For Divorce, is a rootsy stomp on which, according to Guy, guitarist Mark is thankful for finally being allowed to rock out a little.

"Lyrically, it's about ... There's a tendency for me to crawl into a local bar, normally The Temple on Oxford Road, when things are going wrong," he explains.

"In the aftermath of losing my friend, that's exactly what I did. It's also about a very rare occurrence, which was that I fell out with the idea of living in Manchester for a while.

"I love the place so much and write about it an awful lot. I'm very proud of the city and proud I'm from here but, for a time there, I wanted to be far, far away.

"It's about contemplating mortality again, inspired by the fact everyone around me started splitting up. Long-term partners split up or people moved away or changed jobs or started drinking heavily or stopped drinking at all and it was all in reaction to losing one of our very dear friends two years ago.

"Ultimately, it's lovely to feel the wheels turning again after being cooped up working on the album for so long. And some of the reports coming back almost make hanging around in a little studio for two years worth it."

Name: Guy Garvey

Age: 32

Significant others: Guy is single

Career high: Getting a Mercury Prize-nomination for debut Asleep In The Back

Career low: Being dropped by Island before releasing their album

Famous for: His soaring vocals and being one of the nicest men in music

Words of wisdom: On his sometimes destructive drinking habits: "I've gone too far in the past. I got to the point where I didn't know whether I was messing up my life deliberately so I had something to write about, or the other way around."

Elbow begin their UK tour on April 4. See below for full dates.

April 4 - Glasgow ABC

April 5 - Newcastle Academy

April 6 - Leeds Met Uni

April 8 - Oxford Academy

April 9 - Bristol Colston Hall

April 10 - Birmingham Academy

April 12 - Sheffield Octagon

April 13 - Manchester Academy

April 14 - Nottingham Rock City

April 15 - London Brixton Academy

April 21 - Dublin Vicar Street

April 22 - Belfast Mandela Hall