XL Recordings

On the Plane to Japan now. Thanks to our charming manner and debonair garms (I knew these try-hard affectations would pay off in the end), Friendly Fires have been upgraded to World Traveller Plus. Ba...

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. N...

On the Plane to Japan now. Thanks to our charming manner and debonair garms (I knew these try-hard affectations would pay off in the end), Friendly Fires have been upgraded to World Traveller Plus. Basically it means a bit more legroom, a toothbrush that looks a bit like a sex toy, and some slightly better headphones with which to enjoy your Owen Wilson vehicle of choice. Ed’s re-editing some disco obscurity on Logic next to me, while I’m watching Almost Famous and trying to fathom why, 7 years ago, I actually enjoyed this piece of trite nonsense. I guess at that point the life of a touring rock ‘n’ roll musician was as exotic to me as it is to the maker of this film. What unexpected turns life takes, eh readers?

The European tour with Foals is now a distant memory. The last night in Utrecht was pure emotion, relief, sorrow, joy etc. We spent a large part of the night gushing over how much fun the whole experience had been, exchanging the latest dancefloor bangers, and generally basking in an endless bonhomie. It ended with us, Foals, Cut Off Your Hands, and most of the audience on stage for the end of Foals last song, bashing anything we could find with Foals Jack’s improbably heavy 2B drum sticks. Somewhere in the melee, the Flip camera which has been filming our tour diaries got lost. Doubly sad is that that with it went...

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Greetings from Germany.

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...

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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...

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