FRIENDLY FIRES

Friendly Fires released their self titled debut album back in 2008 and set dancefloors alight with their spangly, dancy tunes. Now Ed Macfarlane, Edd Gibson and Jack Savidge are back with a second album with hopes to repeat the same success. We Q+A the bands most social-media-friendly member Jack about the new record and find out what the band’s obsession is with Parrots.

Describe your sound in five words
B-B-Booff, Skrung, Tsktsh, Lalala, Rowwwww

What are the inspirations behind new album, Pala?
Huxley’s ‘Island’ novel, Utopias and realities, and our record collections.

Having experienced considerable success with your debut, did you feel pressure for the second record?
Yes it is inevitable. You want to make something that lives up to where you’ve got to as a band, and that supercedes your old music. But you soon find writing good music doesn’t necessarily come from hammering away at the coal-face, but from little uncontrollable moments of inspiration and happy accidents.

What does being nominated for awards mean for the band?
It’s nice to be commended by the music industry, but its not desperately important.

The new album was rumoured to be released at the end of 2010 - why the delay?
Our first deadline was to have the album delivered in May 2010, but in the end you’ve got to make the best record you can possibly make. Deadlines are there chiefly to chivvy you along, and we like to take our time to perfect things. Sometimes the time it takes is frustrating, but honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way.  We wrote, recorded and mixed ‘Hawaiian Air’ in the days leading up to the album being mastered (March 2011) so had we delivered any earlier it wouldn’t have had that track on it, which is one of our favourites.

You covered Depech Mode’s Strangelove for the Gucci Guilty fragrance advert - what other songs would you like to cover?
We’ve always talked about doing Inner City ‘Good Life’. Or a Korn song.

What is your favourite karaoke song?
Warren G and Nate Dogg ‘Regulate’. Best done with a partner. I’m able to slay both roles.

The new album cover features a macaw and you posed with one for the cover of NME - what’s the bands obsession with the bird?
In Huxley’s ‘Island’ the island of Pala is inhabited by parrots who recite uplifting carpe diem-ish slogans. It also seemed to symbolise our music a little- we paint sound in bright colours.

Why are you the only member of the band that tweets?
It’s because I’m such a don on Twitter and they know they would never be able to compete. No, I jest. I think they just aren’t interested, and I’m embarrassingly obsessed.

What are your plans for the summer?
Gigs, festivals and partying.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com/blog, May 2011.]