Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
They’re all in it for the long haul...
After 17 years since forming Elbow have still got the hunger
It’s been a year of highs and lows for alt rock band Elbow but the beloved Manchester act has proven to be the most durable of bands, second only to U2. Frontman Guy Garvey, bass player Pete Turner, guitarist Mark Potter and brother Craig on keys, and drummer Richard Jupp have played together since 1990, adopting the Elbow band name in 1997.
Some 17 years after forming the anthemic indie quintet took home the Mercury Prize in 2008 for their fourth offering The Seldom Seen Kid.
A year later they were awarded the Best British Group at the Brits, after wooing fans with their anthem One Day Like This. Cut to 2017 and the stadium rockers, famed for their longevity and the strength of their union, fortysomething schoolpals Elbow have been weathering a lot of change.
Since their last album, they have said goodbye to drummer Jupp after 25 years, while singer Garvey, 43, has settled down and married actress Rachael Stirling.
He has also become a Dad for the first time with the birth of his son Jack Stirling Garvey last May.
Meanwhile, guitarist Mark Potter is also celebrating after the birth of his third child.
Speaking to The Beat ahead of their appearance at next month’s Electric Picnic, Pete Turner told how despite all the changes Elbow are in it for the long haul.
He said: “We kind of wonder how long can we go. We’re all in our early forties but we just find each other really funny. We enjoy hanging out together, drinking together, travelling.
“We have fun and we’re just friends.
“Over that time span and doing everything we’ve done and the highs and lows and stuff we just know each other really well. We love making music together.”
He added: “It’s a very good, healthy relationship that we have.”
Pete explained that Richard quit the band in January 2016 so they’ve had a lot of time to get over it but they’ll never formally replace him.
“I mean (Richard) has been with us for over 20 years so we couldn’t replace him but we’ve been working with a guy called Alex Reeves who worked with loads of people like Dizzee Rascal.
“He can play anything he’s ridiculously amazing. (Richard) will always be our drummer if he wants to be.” Elbow have been shunning arena gigs this year taking their seventh album
Little Fictions,
(above)released last February, to more intimate settings on tour opting for atmosphere over spectacle.
Pete explained: “We did a run of shows at the Hammersmith Apollo and we thought we’d do a run of smaller venues. We realised that we really missed the smaller environment, the absolute beautiful places with history.
“We always enjoy going to see bands in smaller venues and it’s not that we’ll never do arenas again but just for the moment we’re enjoying this.” Their Electric Picnic headline slot see Elbow return to their adopted home of Ireland after their show at Live at the Marquee in Cork last June.
The former party boys have enjoyed many a night on the tiles on Irish shores and father-of-two Pete said, despite the band’s expanding brood, that they’re still up for the craic.
“When we’re away we can go back to being kids, the best of both worlds. It’s not lost on us that we’re still so lucky to be doing it.
“Guy would say his life has improved immeasurably having a child, it gets better, he’s in a very happy place.”
Elbow will take some time out in the autumn to write their eighth album before embarking on a US tour.
“We kind of already started it, passing it around, sometime next year we’ll get together and nail it down,” said Pete.
“When we started the last album we went to a place in Scotland called Gargunnock and then
we enjoyed playing late nights and out of that we got Kindling and Head for Surprise. There’s our way of writing but we also work on things individually.
“Guys asks our opinion on the lyrics and there are lots of lists, we write more lists than we play sometimes.
He added: “With the guitar line or bass line it’s open to discussion as to whether it works.
“We all respect each other’s opinions after this length of time, and we’re just honest with each other.”
Pete also revealed he can’t wait to see his heroes and fellow EP headliners Duran Duran play at Stradbally, Co Laois which kicks off on September 1.
He said: “I’m looking forward to playing with Duran Duran, John Taylor (pictured right) is the reason why I wanted to become a bass player.
“I remember seeing an interview with him and he was saying how he loved The Birds, it’s the first track on Build a Rocket Boys! and I was absolutely over the moon so I can’t wait to see them.”
’I’m looking forward to playing with Duran Duran, John Taylor is the reason why I wanted to become a bass player.’