Elbow's Guy Garvey talks ahead of Birmingham and Cannock shows

During that time, frontman Guy Garvey released his acclaimed solo album Courting The Squall, drummer Richard Jupp left the band after six records and band members involved themselves in other collaborative endeavours.

Now, however, they're back. And on Wednesday and Thursday at Birmingham's O2 Academy they will play two sold out headline shows before returning in July to headline one of the popular Forest Live gigs on Cannock Chase.

Little Fictions is where sentimentality meets sophistication. It's the elegiac sound of Garvey falling in love with his wife, the actor Rachael Stirling. The dynamic of the band changed entirely following the unexpected departure of their drummer.

Garvey says: "We needed to work out a different way of working after 25 years. Richard had left the band, and we needed to make it work as a four-piece.

"But you go through difficult times and it brings out the best of you. Richard's departure was a shock at first but something that rejuvenated the band's sound.

"We weren't completely naive to the fact he was going to leave. And it came before our planned writing trip to Scotland – so we went anyway.

"He's been in the band for 25 years and he wants to do something else and I think that's fine. He is a great drummer and he will go on to do great things."

The departure of Jupp had a curious effect on the band's remaining members. They had to redefine their own relationships with one another so the band could function.

"On a personal level I'd be lying if I said we were best pals at this point. Was anyone else feeling Jupp's unhappiness? Could we handle it or rescue it? Elbow have had trying times before and there had to be a first time where it wasn't fixable. I have to stress there are no villains in the story. It just naturally came to an end with Jupp."

The record has earned rave reviews with critics describing it as being on a par with Asleep In The Back and The Seldom Seen Kid.

Garvey agrees that it's the band at their best. They've been re-energised as they set out to prove a point.

"We think Little Fictions is our best work in ages. It reminds me a lot of the first album we made (Asleep In The Back) and also The Seldom Seen Kid.

"It was a proper graft making that record and it was our most successful album. We don't mind that we are still known as the 'One Day Like This band'. We are really proud of that. It is a nice thing to be trusted to deliver uplifting anthems. And I think, despite the bad times we've had recently and the bad year 2016 is known as, it's good to appreciate the moment."

Love is the dominant theme and Garvey is unashamedly happy with his new wife.

"Being married is great. It's like I don't just think for myself anymore. I've got my family, my great big sprawling Catholic family. Then I've got Elbow, I belong to them as well, and now I've got this really exclusive club."

By Andy Richardson