[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The story of FURS is an interesting one. Guitarist Liam Wade and drummer Olly Betts first met up through playing shows together. At the time, the former was Courtney Love’s rhythm guitarist, while the latter was with The Duke Spirit. Bumping into each other around LA, they popped into the studio and found they had something, so brought in Wade’s sister Elle on lead vocals.
Returning to London, they released a debut single ‘Striptease’ which caught the attention of Johnny Marr, who invited the band on tour Next thing they’re on the radio and being compared to HAIM and Metronomy.
Yes, you can be compared to both HAIM and Metronomy at the same time. Don’t think it through too much.
With their debut album out now, we dropped Liam a few questions to find out more.
Hello Furs. Who is it we’re speaking to, and what are we interrupting?
Hi Dork. You’re speaking to Liam from FURS. I’m currently sat in my studio working on new music.
You’ve just released your debut album ‘Just Kids’. What can you tell us about it?
The album is a series of short stories about the trials and tribulations of growing up….. Love, fear, contempt, loss, happiness, sadness. The full emotional spectrum.
Did you have an idea of what you wanted to achieve before you started work on it? How did you find the process?
We always had a clear idea that we wanted to make a solid pop record we hoped people would identify with lyrically and musically. We all have many different influences that make up our sound so the process was actually one of my happiest memories, sewing it all together in the studio. We all had day jobs during the recording of the album, so it was the driving force behind us dreaming about leaving those jobs behind. That feeling helped push us forward with everything.
What’s the one thing you’re most proud of with the record?
The feeling of completing a piece of work that we all contributed to and are satisfied with. It’s not an easy thing to do with no label holding your hand throughout. I’m proud that we’ve worked on this together and now other people will be able to hear it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]What do you think was the most useful thing you learnt during the creation of the record?
It may sound like a cliché but the main thing we’ve learned is to keep going. There are many things that get in the way and knock you back. We learned to get back up and find a way to make it work for us.
Are there any songs on the release that are particularly important to you?
‘Gone’ is a ballad, It’s different to everything else on the record. It’s about the loss of someone important. Myself and my sister lost a couple of family members during the making of this record and I wrote this song as an ode to them. It starts with sadness but I hope by the end of the song it feels like more of a celebration.
What has been the highlight of your time in the band thus far?
We’ve had a few fantastic moments so far with FURS. We’ve toured with Jonny Marr, Gaz Coombes played Glastonbury which we loved but the moment that really sticks out for me personally was playing in Sheffield at Tramlines festival. We played an outdoor tent in the pouring rain and figured that nobody would be there because of the weather. The people of Sheffield not only braved the rain to watch us play but the kids at the front went absolutely crazy when we kicked in with our closer ‘Natives’. It was a magical moment.
Anything else we should know?
We will be touring UK and Europe after the festival period to support the album and we plan to get some brand new music out too. We look forward to seeing everyone on the road.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1464268803113{margin-right: 15px !important;margin-left: 15px !important;border-top-width: 10px !important;border-right-width: 10px !important;border-bottom-width: 10px !important;border-left-width: 10px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;border-left-color: #1e73be !important;border-left-style: dashed !important;border-right-color: #1e73be !important;border-right-style: dashed !important;border-top-color: #1e73be !important;border-top-style: dashed !important;border-bottom-color: #1e73be !important;border-bottom-style: dashed !important;}”]
Factfile
Who’s in the band: Liam, Elle, Olly, Amina
How long have you been together: Three and a half years.
Where are you from: London
What musical pigeon-hole can we shoehorn you into: Indie Pop
Which track of yours should we embed in the space below: ‘Natives’
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