Elbow pen 40 songs for new album

Elbow frontman Guy Garvey has revealed that the group have already penned 40 songs for their next album.

The singer claimed that they will begin work on the record shortly after completing their homecoming gig in Manchester on September 18.

"We've got 30 or 40 odds and ends musically," Garvey told BBC 6 Music.

"I've got a couple of books worth of scribbles, so we're just going to keep doing that for maybe six months. After that, we'll hammer the strongest ideas into a record."

Garvey also admitted that the LP will be recorded in their Salford studio but insisted that he has "no idea" of a release date.

"I'm looking forward to being back in the bunker again," he added. "It's a great space on every level and it's got a real community buzz about it.

"You've got established bands working there and you get really huge pop bands coming through town like Justin Timberlake and Timbaland."

Elbow's fourth studio album The Seldom Seen Kid reached number five in March 2008.