Before that happens, though, Elbow are nixing their March 13 gig in Atlanta because lead singer Guy Garvey is suffering from throat and flu illnesses.

Radio stations may just now be catching on to the group, but music fans, as always, are one step ahead. At the opening date of their U.S. tour February 19 in Los Angeles, the fire marshall shut down the show one hour into Elbow’s set due to overcrowding. Perhaps that was the canary in the mineshaft as the guys continued to play to packed houses around the country.

The Elbow guys – singer Guy Garvey, guitarist Mark Potter, drummer Richard Jupp, organist Craig Potter and bassist Pete Turner – met and formed fast friendships 10 years ago in Bury, north Manchester. They formed their first band, Soft, and eventually took on the Elbow moniker as they began playing gigs.

The future looked bright for the lads, but after two failed record deals (first with Island and second with EMI), a music career looked far off. Then, Manchester-based indie label UglyMan stepped up to the plate and signed the group.

Elbow’s debut album, Asleep In The Back, which was released last spring in the U.K. and in January in the U.S., was met with many critical accolades and earned the group a nod for best newcomer at the 2002 Brit Awards as well as a 2001 Mercury Music Prize nomination. While they lost the spot, it hasn’t hampered Elbow’s career climb, as indicated by their warm Stateside reception.