Photo by Joel Chesterfildes

Anyone who still believes that good things come to bands that wait can't help but take heart in the story of Elbow. After 18 years hovering at the tops of critics' lists and on the fringe of the mainstream, the Manchester group has unexpectedly become a household name in the UK with their fourth album, the elegant and elegiac The Seldom Seen Kid. It's the definition of a sleeper hit: the album thrilled critics, then trickled onto the charts, thanks largely to the life-affirming anthem, "One Day Like This." The Seldom Seen Kid went on to win the Mercury Prize and sell 600,000 copies-no small feat in an era of lowered commercial expectations. Perennial underdogs no more, Elbow have suddenly became English pop's favorite uncles. Frontman Guy Garvey handles his band's recent triumphs with grace. "Fans run up to me in the streets, giving me a little wave," he says of his fellow Mancunians, to whom he's become a hometown hero.

It's the type of success story Americans love. Right now, Elbow's fanbase outside the UK is like that of so many British acts: small, loyal, and generally Anglophilic. But that description once applied to Coldplay, with whom Elbow has just begun a lengthy Stateside arena tour. Warming up for one of the most loved bands in the world is as unnerving an opportunity as it is promising, but Garvey is taking it all in stride. He knows this is a pivotal moment in his band's career, and they aren't about to waste it.  Elbow, he says, are about to "rampage through" America.

Interview caught up with Guy Garvey days before he left his home in Manchester, where he and his bandmates—brothers Mark and Craig Potter (keyboards and guitars, respectively), bassist Pete Turner, and drummer Richard Jupp—just played a two-day spectacular event with the legendary Hallé Orchestra. In the hands of composer Joe Duddell, Elbow's already orchestral rock was given the full classical treatment (choirs and all). It was one of the definitive highlights of the Manchester International Festival and a homecoming moment Garvey describes as the proudest of his life.

COLLEEN NIKA:  You once said that Elbow was the "last album band." Why was that?

GG: I said that last year, but in many ways it was a stupid thing to say. We aren't the last album band at all! But I do believe the best way to enjoy our music is in context. We make albums and prefer for them to be heard that way. Certain songs, like the singles we release to radio, are designed to stand on their own. Ideally, they will prompt someone to go buy a physical copy on CD or vinyl, play it on big speakers, and listen to it start to finish.
 
CN: How does downloading affect an album band like Elbow?

GG: It's a double-edged sword, digital culture. On the one hand, [illegal] downloading means the industry is in a little bit of trouble. But there are still more CDs being sold than ever before-don't let them fool you!  But projected figures are slowing down. At the same time, there's never been a better time for music: digital culture allows people to access our music straight away. We can market to them faster; we can get to our audience directly. So, it's the best of times and the worst of times.

CN: Is the upshot of the digital era the return to a DIY mentality?

GG: I think we'll see more fabulously original music coming out in the next few years than ever before. Through Garage Band or Logic or even straight ahead to ProTools--however they are doing it-- kids are finding ways to make beautiful music in their bedrooms again. They can spend £20 and make £2 million from it. Without the advent of home studios, a band like Animal Collective-my favorite band at the moment-wouldn't be able to do what they do; theirs isn't an album you could make in two months in a £1,000-per-day studio.