XL Recordings

Its snowing I think, but since our touring conditions have improved, having windows to stare out of has become a thing of the past. Oh yes, not for us the lowly dwellings of a van and budget hotels. Now Friendly Fires come equipped with an all singing/dancing rock n roll bus. Every person in our party has their own 6’ x 2’ x 2’ cubicle in which to go about their daily business. The cubicles come complete with carpetted walls to climb up, and pastel bed clothes whose calming hues of beige and lavender are perfect for calming one down after another claustrophobic freak-out.

We’re going around Europe in this ready-made asylum on wheels, in support of all-round diamond geezers Foals. Honestly, we’ve never had such great touring buddies. You should get to know them if you have the chance. Jack, their frighteningly deft drummer, has a thing called a Buttkicker installed in his drum stool. Its like a pneumatic drill for powering kick-drum up your botty. Needless to say, playing drums with one is like having the beat powering through your very fundament. Its bliss. I want one for Christmas this year, more than I want twenty Robosapiens.

In between returning from the USA and going to Europe we did the Mencap Little Noise Sessions at the Union Chapel, which was kind of frightening. We’re not really a get-an-acoustic-guitar-out-and-have-a-bit-of-a-jam-with-some-mates-like-you’re-Jamie-fucking-Oliver kind of a band, so we recoil when anyone says ‘stripped down’ or ‘acoustic’. When we arrived in its monastic hush, we began worrying that the foot stomping carry on that we prepared would offend the Dean or the verger or whatever. It seemed our worries were misplaced, as it went down pretty well. Mat Horne was moved to start mucking around with a blow-up doll, such was his enjoyment of our set, and it ended up getting reported in the Sun newspaper . I think this is our first minor foray into the showbiz pages of the tabloids. Maybe when we get a few days off we can dedicate an evening to getting the heave ho from Bungalow 8, or do a bit of swearing on the wireless, and turn it into ‘major inroads’.

anyway laters, yeah?

j