Elbow to release album and play Coachella

‘build a rocket boys!’

In Stores April 12th, 2011
Digital Release March 8th, 2011
Elbow Return to North America for Coachella Music Festival on Saturday April 16, 2011


Following the immense success of the double platinum selling ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’, Manchester’s finest five-piece are pleased to announce the release of their fifth studio album 'build a rocket boys!' which will be released in the United States on April 12th. A digital version of the album will be available March 8th to coincide with the March 7th UK release (Fiction). Once again, recorded in their facility within Blueprint Studios in Salford and produced by the band’s Craig Potter, ‘build a rocket boys!’ continues one of the most intriguing and heart warming stories in British music.

“Lyrically this is a record about the ups and downs of being young through the eyes of someone who loved and hated it all at the same time. Ultimately though, when we listen back to this record in years to come it will remind us of how it felt to be the same old friends, in the same wonderful studio, in the same old town making another record we're immensely proud of but this time in the warm glow of having realized all the plans we made as boys. The album title recommends that everybody have a go.”

Says Guy Garvey, the bands lead-man and vocalist when asked about the inspiration and efforts that went into making ‘build a rocket boys!’ And have a go they certainly did! Going on to become one of the UK’s most loved and influential bands, ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’ went on to the receive the Mercury Music Album Of The Year for 2008, whilst ‘One Day Like This’ (the official soundtrack to England’s World Cup and Olympics) and ‘Grounds For Divorce’ both deservedly collected Ivor Novello Awards, they were also named Best British Band at the 2009 BRITS, picked up a South Bank Show award and were heralded for their ‘Outstanding Contribution to British Music’ at the 2009 NME Awards.

Continuous radio play and support from the media and fans alike has clearly solidified elbow as one of the worlds most promising and treasured live and studio acts of our time. With the release of their forthcoming full-length ‘build a rocket boys!’ and a highly anticipated, one off performance at this years Coachella Music Festival, elbow are about to remind us all exactly why they are still going strong after 20 years.

The band returned to their spiritual home, the Big Room at Salford’s Blueprint Studios where ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’ and ‘Leaders Of The Free World’ were recorded. Adding to their collection of musical instruments, including an organ bought from a local social club that leads the charge on ‘Lippy Kids’, the band settled down to a recording schedule with keyboardist Craig Potter once again in the producer’s chair.

Musically, the band also travelled back in many ways, with sentiments and rhythms that graced their debut album ‘Asleep in the Back’, heard especially on ‘Lippy Kids’ and the album closer ‘Dear Friends’. Old friends returned and new friends were welcomed onto ‘build a rocket boys!’. The Hallé Youth Choir provided the swelling voices that grace six of the final eleven tracks, their locality and youth subtly linking the two main themes of the record; home and community.

Having recently played their biggest ever shows in their homeland, two celebratory sold out shows at London’s Wembley Arena, as well as in their home town at Manchester’s MEN Arena (a tour finale show for over 17,000 people), a fitting send off for the band before returning with a stellar new album this Spring.

Elbow will be releasing ‘build a rocket boys!’ in the United States on April 12th, 2011 as well as performing at the 2011 Coachella Music Festival on Saturday April 16th.