Seen as a good-guy group in a shark-infested business, the five-piece band scooped the prize for album "The Seldom Seen Kid," confirming their status as one of the decade's most innovative British bands.

"Life has changed dramatically since winning the Mercury Prize," drummer Richard Jupp told reporter. "It has allowed our music to reach a whole new audience and thrust us into the more mainstream arena."

Jupp said he spent his cut of the 20,000-pound (25,000-euro) prize money on "paying off credit card bills and a nice present for the girlfriend," but claims the money was secondary.

"Winning these awards is amazing but it's the opportunity to meet the people who have inspired you to make music that matters," he said.

The Mancunians re-released their 2001 debut album "Asleep In The Back" this week, complete with bonus tracks and a DVD, as fans only recently exposed to their music seek to discover the band's origins.

"I hope it will give new fans a comprehensive insight into the beginnings of Elbow," Jupp said. "Also the DVD will show how young we looked!"

With increased exposure comes increased expectation, but having been together for 12 years the band are well placed to deal with any pressures as they start work on their fifth studio album.

"The only sense of expectation we feel is from the five of us," the drummer said. "We would never release something that we are all not 100 percent happy with."

Much of the band's unique appeal lies in their introspective, pensive lyrics expressed through vocalist Guy Garvey's versatile and soulful tones.

"Without the incredible range of Guy's vocals we would be half the band we are," Jupp said. "Also the lyrics play a key role. They appeal to a broad range of people, and from the responses we get, are very personal and in some cases profound."

Their home town is world-known for producing articulate and brooding songwriters ranging from Joy Division's Ian Curtis, The Smiths' singer Morrissey and Johnny Bramwell from I Am Kloot.

This is no coincidence, according to Jupp, who had a typically British explanation. "Manchester has an incredible musical heritage ... I think the main reason is the weather."

"The fact that it's always cloudy makes daylight quite dark, and it's always raining so there's not much more a musician can do but stay indoors and write music."