[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Six years is a long time. Obviously. Back in 2011, ‘Seven Nation Army’ was just a song by The White Stripes, Donald Trump was firing people on The Apprentice rather than the White House, and The 1975 hadn’t yet released their first EP. 2011 also saw the release of Friendly Fires’ second album ‘Pala’, which remains now, in 2017, their last. Are we getting a new one? Maybe – and it could be sooner than you might think.
Ed Macfarlane has been making music
The band’s singer Ed Macfarlane has spent the years following ‘Pala’s release on a voyage of discovery indulging in his passion for weird and wonderful electronic music by releasing a compilation of library music called ‘Glistens’. More importantly though, along with his bandmate Edd Gibson he formed a collaboration with Jon Brooks called The Pattern Forms and released an album, ‘Peel Away The Ivy’ in October 2016. It was less bangers more textured electronic loveliness, but still, at least he was again active. Don’t forget drummer Jack Savidge though who has been one man DJ’ing monster, tearing it up across the country, keeping Friendly Fires in touch with their club roots.
If you look through Ed’s Instagram account, you’ll find lots of intriguing pics and videos of him fiddling about and playing with all sorts of electronic equipment and gadgets that point to what could be a suitably kaleidoscopic third Friendly Fires album. Here’s Ed (or his hand to be precise) cooking something up like a mad sonic scientist in his country retreat.
And here’s Ed looking unimpressed at some dodgy saxophone playing. Maybe that one won’t go on the album though.
Hope you’re all having a wonderful Friday night… #dontaskasaxplayertoimproviseonatrack
A post shared by edmacfarlane (@edwardmacfarlane) on
Even more exciting than that
Last month Ed posted this pic which looks suspiciously like a Friendly Fires video shoot – could that be a surprise new single? Are those swivel hips about to swing into action again? Either way, it’s exciting stuff.
And then there’s the rumour mill…
Way back at the end of 2016, Dork asked a bunch of bands which albums they were looking forward to for 2017. “Well I know there’s a new Friendly Fires record on the way,” Natti from Fickle Friends let slip. “It’s gunna be very very very synth and very very different from what they’ve done previously… I’m pretty psyched for it.” We are too, Natti. We are too.
Why should we be excited?
In case you’ve forgotten Friendly Fires are a certified banger factory capable of pumping out glistening pieces of indie dance gold like ‘Paris’ and ‘Jump In The Pool’ with ease. Their music is a carnival of joy and euphoria exemplified by Ed and the band’s hip shaking exuberance and Hawaiian shirted ridiculousness. Their return promises to give us a welcome splash of colour and vibrancy. For now, though, let’s watch them in all their glory back in the day and get ready to herald 2018 (0r maybe even sooner?) as the grand return of Friendly Fires.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4tThC6qSbQ”][/vc_column][/vc_row]