Hailing from the musical hotbed of the north west, Elbow are one of the current crop of bands causing huge waves in the industry, writes Pookie Hudson.

Their debut album, Asleep At The Back, will undoubtedly be featuring in many end of year polls compiled by the critics.

Hard-hitting, poignant lyrics, sometimes with a political viewpoint, combine to perfection with an experimental musical approach moving forward from Talk Talk and Radiohead, plus a flavouring of 60s' folk and prog rock.

"The music is the most important factor for us," says guitarist Mark Potter.

"When we were shooting the video for Red, we made sure the video guys focused on the music, not the members of the band."

Elbow have experienced several false starts before their career ignited. Their self-released EP 'Noisebox' featured in John Peel's 1998 festive fifty chart, coupled with their InThe City appearance the same year, Elbow joined - and then left - the Island record label.

They then signed with Manchester independent, Uglyman and a brace of EPs later, in stepped V2, headed by Oxford resident Richard Branson.

With legal wrangles surrounding the original recording of their album, Elbow re-recorded the whole package. Debut single RCD, a recent Top 40 Singles chat hit, was a taster for the main course, Asleep At The Back.

Notching up shows with both Doves and Grandaddy, before more recently supporting The Manic Street Preachers, Elbow embarked on their first headline tour of the UK late in April.

Their tour brings them to Oxford Zodiac on Saturday, May 12.