U.K. band elbows its way onto the American scene

  www.elbow.co.uk Meet Elbow. No longer just a homely
bodily joint, but also your newest British band.

By Shana Dines
Daily Bruin Reporter

Sipping on beer and chain smoking at a high table on the
sidewalk of Santa Monica Boulevard, the men of Elbow shared in a
rowdy rap session over their meager British beginnings, rise to
European fame, and journey to America’s underground rock
scene.

As the conversation progressed, the ashtrays were filled up,
emptied, and filled up again. Cheers! they said, thanking the
waitress. The MGDs were sucked down, replaced, and sucked down
again. Cheers! The mood got lighter, the jokes got raunchier, and
the laughs got louder. Cheers!

Lead singer Guy Garvey emerged as an articulate spokesman for
the group, while bassist Pete Turner and organist/keyboardist Craig
Potter offered the most comic relief. Guitarist Mark Potter was the
quickest with witty comebacks and quips, but drummer Richard Jupp
bestowed the most cynical and sarcastic, yet realistic,
insight.

“About five years from now, I see ourselves being nut
brown, fat as a fuck, white hair, with many naked people being
creative around us,” Garvey said jokingly as Jupp egged him
on.

“I’ll be there,” Mark Potter added.

“It’s a posh pimp thing is what it is, a posh
international pimp,” Turner added.

In all seriousness though, Elbow noted that everything they had
ever dreamt of has been accomplished in their musical careers. They
were able to quit their day jobs and make a living off of their
music. Coming from the tiny English mill town of Bury, they are now
expanding their aspirations to encompass critical acclaim and
growing fan base of American audiences.

However, which of the two is more important was somewhat
difficult to determine. Though Jupp was quick to name critical
acclaim as their main concern, Mark Potter did not hesitate in
offering up another explanation. He mentioned that the critics get
their records for free, while it’s the fans that buy them.
Jupp humbly agreed and admitted his mistake.

In addition to the music, which they promised will always sound
different live than on the record, the members of Elbow incorporate
a visual display, which includes videos and other effects,
throughout their sets.

They excitedly reminisced on their first live show, an afternoon
gig at a college lecture theater, before which they watched a video
of a Queen concert to get themselves pumped for the show.

In addition to Queen, the members of Elbow named various other
British and American groups ranging from Smashing Pumpkins, P.J.
Harvey and Soundgarden to Talk Talk, Radiohead and even some
hip-hop artists as influences.

Although some recent British groups have inspired their music,
the members of Elbow dislike being generalized as “Brit
Pop.” Continuously being compared to Coldplay, they promptly
addressed the differences in the two groups.

“It can sometimes be quite frustrating to be compared to a
band like Coldplay when the songs that are directly linked to them
were written six years before theirs were,” Mark Potter
explained. “But if it’s a way of drawing people into
our record, then fine, whatever.”

Since four out of the five members grew up together and have
known each other since preschool, the dynamic of the band is more
like that of a family than of business partners, Garvey was added
to the group when they all met him in college and since then, they
have been together for 11 years. Originally called Soft, the
members later opted for the most sensual word in the English
language, according to the Dennis Potter play “Singing
Detective.”

“(The main character of the play) says not in its
connotation, but in the way it feels to say in your mouth,”
Garvey explained. “He says
“˜Ellll-boooow.'”

Despite the impression they give of all play and no work, the
men of Elbow definitely spend their share of grueling hours in the
studio. Their songs, they explained, usually go back and forth a
number of times between all of the members before completion.

They actually write their music with an orchestra in mind for
the background. Those parts are where the organ or keyboard come
in, but in many European shows, they actually included wind and
brass ensembles on stage to complement their songs. They felt that
the inclusion of the full instrumental section allowed to songs to
come out as they were meant to be heard.

The men of Elbow can’t help but feel a slight distance
from their current songs. Written two to six years ago, they
originally recorded their entire first album for Island Records,
which in the end never released any of their music.

They then got picked up by V2 Records and had to start the
recording over. As a result, they are playing songs that describe
how they felt half a decade ago.

“It’s quite a moody record, but it’s
definitely a personal record as well. It’s more bedroom than
car, if you know what I mean,” Garvey said. “More than
anything else, we tried to make it a balanced journey. It’s
as much about being a frustrated 17-year-old pervert as it is about
being a heart-broken 20-something. It spans six years, an important
six years.”

Elbow’s sound is constantly evolving and the new songs are
being described as freer, less self-conscious, groovier,
thematically lighter and more musically experimental.

After immense acclaim in England and Europe, including a number
of coveted music awards, the members of Elbow realize that they are
reverting back to a music scene in which they are unknown.

“We’re nothing here, we realize that,” Mark
Potter said. “We’re less than nothing, we’re shit
on the bottom of somebody’s shoes.”