The Futureheads are back and they’re gearing up to play a number of North East shows so Kyrie Morris caught up with them to speak about their upcoming album, independent venues, and their favourite North East venue.
You have the honour of gracing the stage at Hit the North’s opening party on Friday 3rd May…are you excited to be back and playing in the North East?
We’ve always enjoyed playing in the North East as the crowds up here are great. And, you know, at least they’ll understand our in-between song craic which is a bonus – there’s nothing worse than our one-liners falling on deaf ears.
Can you tell us a little bit about what Hit the North revellers can expect from your set?
Well, revellers will always find the opportunity to revel but come May 3rd they can revel in a mix of floor-filling delights, new songs to knock off their socks and the odd coffee cream thrown in to spice tunings up a bit.
You’ve been tucked away recording your sixth album. How has it felt to be back in the studio doing what you do best?
Recording our sixth album has been an invigorating experience. Making every album has been different: the challenges for this record have been getting everyone together in the same room for more than ninety seconds which has been quite the feat. But the energy when we are all together has been quite something and we can’t wait for people to hear the fruits of our labour.
Can you tell me a little bit about the creative process behind the record?
Barry came to this album with a lot of instrumentals sketched out in demo form: guitar parts, riffs and drum beats. With Ross, I traduced his riffs and tunes a little later. The rest was thrashed out over a period of four or five months in First Avenue Studios in Heaton. Once the instrumentals were down, we set about writing lyrics and harmonies. We’ve not really done it like that before where we have 12 fully-recorded instruments before any vocal ideas are down.
You’re spending the next few months touring the UK. Are there any pre-gig rituals the band has? Any weird quirks?
Well, we all rub ourselves in baby oil while we do our vocal warm-ups. Does that count?
You’re also headlining the ARC stage at Stockton Calling 2019. It’s amazing to see the event blossoms with each year that passes, wouldn’t you agree?
They’ve got a really good thing going on in Stockton. Last time we played Stockton Calling we’d travelled all night from Poland without any sleep. Thankfully, there are no plans to do that again.
What do you think we can do to stop the decline in independent music venues?
If people want to see shows, they need to get out and support bands – it’s as simple as that. Don’t wait until bands are playing Academies before you show an interest.
Do you have a favourite North East venue you enjoy playing the most or that’s shown the band particular support over the years?
Well, The Cluny has always been a good one for us but I’m not sure we will ever top the days of playing the function room upstairs in the royalty in Sunderland – it was DIY fun at its best.
To keep up-to-date with The Futureheads and their new album and tour, head to thefutureheads.com. For further information about Stockton Calling and Hit the North, please read our features section.
