ELBOW singer Guy Garvey is sitting in a coffee shop near his South London studio and musing on the question: Does he ever feel that success has gone to his head?
It is the subject matter of Things I’ve Been Telling Myself For Years, the first song on Elbow’s splendid tenth record Audio Vertigo.
The warm and grounded singer says: “Writing it, I was thinking about frontmen who have left the planet with their ego, and I thought how if I didn’t have my mates around me or if I’d got into drugs, I could be a maniacal big-head.
“But I’ve got the lads in the band, and I’ve got my five big sisters. They’ve never let my head get big.
“One time I was walking down the street with my sister Gina and I put a pair of sunglasses on.
“She said, ‘What are them?’ I said, ‘Sunglasses’ and she said, ‘Take them off. Now’. So, I don’t wear sunglasses in Manchester.”
Writing the album-opener was inspired by a conversation Garvey had with his wife, actress Rachael Stirling about his ability to “read people”.
It is a song where the older Garvey holds the mirror up to his younger self — which is a similar theme to the gorgeous From The River, a song inspired by his young son Jack, who turns seven next month.
Showing me a photo of the adorable Jack on his iPhone, Garvey says: “Jack is a cheeky monkey with us, but he’s good with the teachers.
“He loves Rick Astley who’s recorded a message for him for his birthday.”
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‘We said this record should be beat-driven’
Taking a sip from his cuppa, Garvey continues: “That song is a return to putting Jack in my shoes. Growing up we had a ruined factory at the bottom of the field next to our house.
“We’d go down there to hear the dawn chorus and it was the first place I kissed a girl and the first place I smoked a cigarette — I go back there all the time in my head.
“The line, ‘Bring us back something bright from the river, bring us back something beautiful son’ is me wishing Jack the best bits of my childhood and saying go and enjoy life and tell us about it.
“Although, when the lads read the line, ‘Double the farthest that I’ve ever run,’ one said, ‘Well that’s not very difficult is it, Garv?’ Cheeky b**tards.”
Elbow get their groove on for Audio Vertigo, an album Garvey describes as “a bit of a romp”.
He adds: “It’s a rock record and it’s a lot of fun. When we started this record we said it should be beat-driven.
“The last record Flying Dream 1 was autobiographical, it went into my marriage, my childhood, fatherhood and Diana dying.” Garvey’s mother-in-law, the actress Diana Rigg, died in 2020.
Garvey says they were disappointed that the last album only reached No7 in the album charts when their previous three had reached No1.
“Yes, we were gutted,” he admits. “We were super proud of it but it’s a very different album and it came out on the same day as Adele’s album.
“It’s very difficult to place in a live set or get radio space. I think the only way you could perform it is in its entirety, which we might do.”
Why do we like the idea of people killing themselves for love?
Audio Vertigo was made at Migration Studios in Gloucestershire with some final tweaking at the band’s Salford Blueprint Studios.
There are dark moments on the new album but with a brighter sound. Lovers’ Leap deals with the dark trope of star-crossed lovers and there is also a song called Knife Fight.
Garvey says: “We nearly called our album Build A Rocket Boys!, Lovers’ Leap. Lovers’ leap is a nice pair of words and they have a big dramatic image attached.
“Why do we like the idea of people killing themselves for love?
“Mark came up with this weird, porny outro with this wild guitar and me having fun with the dark nature of the song.
“And Knife Fight tells the story of a knife fight I saw in Istanbul which mirrors the same thing that happens in The Royal Tenenbaums film.
“Am I scared about knives with Jack? Well, statistically, you’re more likely to die anywhere but London — no, I don’t worry about knife crime. My son’s got a healthy amount of my cowardice. He’s a very lovely confident lad. But he’s also very sensitive.”
He adds: “And I can’t wait until he and his mates are hanging out at my studio when they’re teenagers. It’s the coolest, soundproof teenage hangout in South London.
“I’m more worried that he’s going to be told to pick a rifle up at some point. We really need to stop a few dictators worldwide. They’re getting more confident. And if people don’t think it’s going to knock on their door, they are crazy.
‘Everyone’s frightened and angry’
“We live in a troubling age,” Garvey says. “And I started writing my feelings on many issues but I thought, not only do I not want to finish this, but I also don’t want to listen to it.
“Everybody’s on the same page in terms of fear and division and whatever side of whatever argument you’re on, everyone’s frightened and angry. The album is distracting from, rather than reflecting all the things that everybody is worried about.”
We were all sad when Taylor (Hawkins) died. He was such a great person.
Good Blood Mexico City is “a love song to the Foo Fighters”. Mentioning his band members – which includes guitarist Mark Potter, bassist Pete Turner, drummer Alex Reeves and keyboardist Craig Potter – Garvey says: “Mark and Pete were playing these incredible rock riffs over this crazy loop and it reminded me of the Foos.
“When [original drummer, Richard] Jupp left the band, we’d asked Dave Grohl to drum on a couple of songs and he’d said yes, as did Queen drummer Roger Taylor, but then we met Alex.
“And we played Mexico City with the Foos. Al was crazy about Taylor Hawkins and they ended up playing on the kit.
“We were all sad when Taylor died. He was such a great person.”
Her To Earth was a track presented to Garvey by the band as “bargain basement, Stevie Wonder”.
“I looked at Craig and Pete to say, ‘What’s this lads? It’s got this weird 80s horn sample. And they said, ‘It’s fun. Have fun with it.’ So, I wasn’t going to be Mr Not Fun.
‘It’s about finding the band’
“The chorus offers solace and we have two amazing singers putting their backing vocals on it. It’s my favourite song on the record. It’s testament to the lads pushing me — Craig pushes me particularly and I push him.
“And Audio Vertigo is the first album our drummer Al has written with us. And he brings new flavours. He’s been with us for seven years now. Though we were a bit unsure at first as we’ve been doing it this way for more than 30 years.
“But he’s a ‘real’ member, he’s in the photos, and the poor b**tard had to sign 5,000 album sleeves last week. He’s got a very quick signature now,” he laughs.
Friendship has always been central to Elbow. Garvey, Craig, Mark and Pete all met as teenagers and have played together since 1990.
Very Heaven on Audio Vertigo recalls when Garvey was inspired at age 17 and had been kicked out by his mum.
By virtue of having a house with no parents in, I had friends around and we were constantly smoking weed and working out who you were and what you thought.
“For not attending college,” he states. “Actually, she kicked me out for lying to her. I could have begged and gone back but I thought, f*** that, and I moved into a house with five other people and it was 17 quid a week.
“So, you can imagine how salubrious the surroundings were — it was literally falling down at the back. But it was exciting. I don’t think I’ve ever had more sex since! I was so flattered by all this attention.
“By virtue of having a house with no parents in, I had friends around and we were constantly smoking weed and working out who you were and what you thought.
“But it was an important time and rather than be drop-outs, everyone has gone on to do well and be either a chef, artist, photographer or teacher.
“The last verse of that song is about finding the band and finding the friends that I’ve got now.
“The line, ‘Smoking, splitting hairs and smashing atoms’ – that’s us. We’d meet at a National Trust car park, park up where nobody could see us and argue, smoke weed and listen to music. And they are my friends to this day.”
Two weeks ago, Garvey turned 50 and says it’s made him reflect on what he’s achieved.
“A lot of blokes hit 50 and go, What haven’t I done? But I feel quite fulfilled in that department.
“I’d like to make another solo album as I rushed the first one. So I’m probably going to take my time and see if I can work with some people that I’ve always wanted to work with. I really want to do a duet with Alison Moyet.”
And to celebrate his milestone birthday, Garvey’s friends surprised him with a trip back to Manchester.
He says: “My best friend, Peter Jobson from I Am Kloot, picked me up to take me for breakfast, knowing exactly what was going to happen.
“Then he pulled out a ticket to Manchester from Euston, and when I got to town, all me mates were waiting in the pub. It was great, we got spannered. And then got spannered all the next day too. Two days on the drink and I was f**ked for a week.”
Reflecting on what their next tour will be like, he says: “Controlling my booze consumption worries me far more than the performances. And also sleeping on tour buses with our 50-year-old bodies — I might need a back crack after a few days.
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“No, we are buzzing. These are really exciting songs and we can’t wait to play them live. We haven’t played for a year and a half, so playing the old stuff, will be something too. We just can’t wait.”
