Guy Garvey says Elbow are working on new album ahead of Teenage Cancer Trust gig
The band have started writing their 11th studio album, as they prepare to perform a concert in aid of the charity at the Royal Albert Hall next week.
Elbow frontman Guy Garvey has said his band have started writing their 11th studio album, as they prepare to perform a concert in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust at London’s Royal Albert Hall next week.
The band’s gig on Monday, March 23 will launch this year’s concert series, which has been curated by The Cure frontman Robert Smith, and will also see shows from the likes of Brit Award-winning indie band Wolf Alice, shoegaze innovators My Bloody Valentine and Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers.
Garvey told the Press Association: “We’ve started writing the next one (album), Pete Turner’s been firing out work on an almost daily basis, so yeah, business as usual, we’re writing the next one.
“We’ve all got side projects that we’re doing, and I don’t have any spare time whatsoever, but yeah, we’re writing another record, and very happy about it.”
But the 52-year-old said it was unlikely fans would hear any of the new album on Monday.
Garvey added: “I doubt that very much (that they will play new songs), we’re currently arguing over whether or not to do quite a famous cover version, we’re not known for doing that, half the band hate covers.
“So there’s a to and fro going on, but no, we’re going to take our time over this record, it’ll be our 11th, and we’ve got some anniversaries coming up, so we’ll be looking back for a couple of years, and then we’ll be looking forward, I think that’s how it’s going to be.”
Elbow famously covered The Beatles’ Golden Slumbers for the 2017 John Lewis Christmas advert, and released their 10th album Audio Vertigo in 2024, which was followed by the EP Audio Vertigo Echo last year.
Garvey teased that a special guest may join them for their Royal Albert Hall performance.
The singer said: “There might be a special guest, we’re still waiting to hear back from them, it might not happen, so it might be much of a muchness, but we’ve asked somebody else playing the festival if they’ll get involved, but it remains to be seen.”
The Bury-born singer went on to praise the Teenage Cancer Trust charity, and new curator Smith, who will replace The Who singer Sir Roger Daltrey for 2026, describing him as “the figurehead of the good ship music” and saying he had long supported the band.
Garvey added: “He (Smith) emailed me directly and just asked if I’d be a part of it.
“We’ve supported The Cure once before, many years ago, at Old Trafford cricket ground, and then years before that, when we were working on our second record, there was a Q magazine article with Robert, and when he was asked what he was listening to, he said he was listening to us.
“And he said it was like learning a new language.
“So (I’m) very proud indeed, and of course, if he asks you to do anything, you say absolutely, but the charity itself is a really well organised, realistic charity.
“You get approached by an awful lot of different charities, asking you to do concerts and stuff, but they’re realistic as to what goes into making a concert, and how many of your crew you need to make a big show work.
“They’re realistic about things, and it makes you want to double down and support them as much as you can.”
Since being founded in the 1990s, Elbow have achieved four UK number one albums and a UK top 10 single, and are best known for songs such as One Day Like This, Grounds For Divorce and Fallen Angel.
Tickets for the Teenage Cancer Trust gig series, which runs until Sunday March 29, are available from the Teenage Cancer Trust website.
