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The up-and-coming electro-pop band took time out of their busy touring schedule for a quick phone call with The Yorker. I could listen to those soothing Welsh tones all day.
I see you’ve been on the road a lot recently – how are you finding touring?
Dan: Really good, it’s a lot of fun, we’ll be going round the festivals this summer and we’re just really looking forward to it. We’re playing Wake Stock and Radio 1’s Big Weekend is coming up, we’re just really enjoying it.
How did Friends Electric get together?
Dan: (laughs) It’s a long story... We’ve been playing together since school in various line ups and formats, and we started touring when we were 17 as a guitar band. Then we all moved into a house together and got some recording equipment and started playing as a synth band; we’ve been writing in the studio for about three years – we wanted an album full of solid songs before we started touring again, so we’d make all the mistakes in the studio and wouldn’t take them on the road.
You mentioned you were previously a guitar band – what made you switch to synth?
Dan: Well we always tried to find the best venue in whatever city we were playing in but they were all these venues with sticky floors and stuff and we couldn’t wait to get out of them. Then we went to see Soulwax [Belgian rock band known for their grungey use of synths] and thought, “Why haven’t we been doing this all along?” So all started playing synths instead and started looking for clubs to play in.
You’ve done remixes for some pretty big names – Kylie, Ellie Goulding, Kelis – is this something you intend to carry one with or do you want to make your own name now?
Dan: Remixing is something that we just sort of fell into from the first place. Once we’d taught ourselves how to use the studio, we were asked to remix a Noisette’s track, and it worked really well so it all just took off from there. We just love doing it.
Being picked up by BBC Introducing is a big step. Over the last few years they’ve put some big names on the map, Florence and the Machine, for one, and one of my favourite bands, Patch William. How do you feel about it?
Dan: It’s just a massive compliment. It’s great to be working with people who are as passionate as we are! It gives us a bit of breathing space – we know we’re actually doing something right. It’s a bit overwhelming – last year we were so far away from where we are now. Radio 1’s Big Weekend last year was up in Bangor and we were thinking how amazing it would be to play it, and now it’s actually possible, it’s great!
Catch Friends Electric at Stereo, tomorrow [Wednesday] night. Tickets £5 OTD.
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