Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Ìý

Ìý

Guy Garvey is on his hands and knees in a Portacabin behind the stage at Belsonic in Custom House Square Belfast. It's a surreal,but totally Elbow type, moment. He's being helpful before we do our interview, as there's a fridge buzzing in the background and I have a thing about fridges having to be switched off before I start recording. It's usually me looking for the plug socket but Guy Garvey, lead singer withÌýElbow, headlining tonight, is down on his knees quicker than I can say "Throw those curtains wide"!

He is in great form, once he's sitting down, garrulous almost, talking about the song "My Funny Valentine" in his opinionÌýthe antithesis of aÌýlove song, but says that no one really listens to the lyrics and, instead, thinks its one of the greatest love songs ever; how he spentÌýlast night, drinking in a hotel in Belfast, and wrote a lullaby forÌýa stage show, a big show that he can't tell me anything about, but he's been asked to co-write the song with Massive Attack and how he woke up after half an hour and wrote it. "I nailed it" he says with infectious enthusiasm -Ìý"it's great!" Ìý

He talks with genuine emotion about lullabies, and, in particular, his mother who would sing him and his siblingsÌýto sleep with songs that she made up herself . He also reveals theÌýnames she called him when he was a child -Ìý"chicken", "lambkin", "soldier boy". And he then laughs and says he can't believe he just told me that.

I could have spent longer with him. He's a really nice guy,Ìýas you can see from the big smile on my face as I sat beside him in that Portacabin! I'll have an even bigger smile tonight when I see them in concert. And probably a few tears too.

Ìý

Elbow play Belsonic tonight at Custom House Square, with support by Foy Vance and The Villagers

Ìý

Ìý