Turning 40 sparked Garvey's solo plan

Guy Garvey says turning 40 was the trigger for him to record a solo album.

Courting The Squall was released last month and the Elbow frontman says he wanted to up his musical output after reaching “middle age.”

Garvey, now 41, tells the Guardian: I’m pretty sure it was the 40 thing. Around 40, I thought, ‘Wow, I’m officially a middle-aged man. I should do more work.’ There should be more output than 10 songs every two years. So I flung myself at it.”

He wanted to make a less polished record than the work usually produced by Elbow, although he says he’ll never leave the band.

He adds: “There’s a vastness to Elbow records, like a cinema-effect to them, and in places, almost a regal thing. This record is more rough and ready.

“I see what I’m doing with Elbow as what’s going to define me. And I’ve given my entire adult life to it, so I’m not going to stop doing that.”

Garvey sets off on a solo tour of Europe this month.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.