Olympics give leg-up to Elbow

HE closing ceremony of the London Olympics had surreal moments.

Annie Lennox sang, strapped to the prow of a Viking longboat. Fatboy Slim spun his greatest hits, perched on an inflatable octopus. Russell Brand straddled a psychedelic double-decker, belting out through a megaphone the song Pure Imagination, from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Backstage, the Manchester anthemic rock band Elbow were having an ‘is this really happening?’ moment of their own. “We were surrounded by all these celebrities,” says guitarist Craig Potts. “It was pretty odd, to be honest. Definitely, the most unusual concert we have played at. You don’t normally have super-famous types milling around as you’re preparing to go on.” The weirdest bit was when the Spice Girls trooped in — with Becks — and sat on the table opposite.