There are too many italicised words in this post

In full disclosure, I must admit that I am jumping on the band wagon. I'd love to boast that I was a fan before they were cool as I do remember listening to an album of theirs at uni (Asleep in the Back possibly). But it can't of taken as I didn't think of Elbow again until I read late, last year that they'd won the Mercury Prize. I've gone back, devoured their back catalogue and now they're in my “Top Five Bands to See Live that I Haven't Seen Live Yet”*.

I was listening to The Seldom Seen Kid on the way to work the other day and as I walked up the hill past parliament, “The Bones of You” arrived in my ears and I swear I got goosebumps. And that's just the second track; you haven't even got to "Mirrorball", "Weather to Fly" or "On a Day Like This" yet.

The guitar at the start of the chorus of “Ground for Divorce”, Mwerah-bierrr - the bit that sounds like Satan's gear change - makes my diaphragm contract every time I hear it. I know the whole thing about the Butthole Surfers playing low frequency noise at their concerts to make the audience shat themselves is all myth but I wouldn't be surprised if the crowd at an Elbow gig needed new new pants once Messrs Garvey, Potter, Potter, Turner and Jupp get through the chorus a second time.

Come to think about it, I'm not sure I want to see them live any more.

* In case you were wondering:

• The Shins

• Barenaked Ladies

• Elbow

• Jonathan Coulton / MC Frontalot (in this ideal gig, they're playing together at PAX)

• Kaiser Chiefs
  

I know, they bumped Tenacious D out of the top five. I didn't expect that either.

Note - Strangely, this was written with Vampire Weekend and not Elbow playing in the background