Friendly Fires' festival dates

By Greg Cochrane
Newsbeat music reporter

Friendly Fires [L-R]: Jack Savidge, Edd Gibson and Ed Macfarlane

Friendly Fires have announced their first UK festival appearances for summer 2009.

The band will play at this year's Bestival in September as well as headline a stage at The Big Chill.

They were speaking before standing in for Zane Lowe last night [14 January] as part of the DJ's Takeover series.

Lead singer Ed Macfarlane said: "We've got Bestival confirmed which is our favourite festival so we're really looking forward to that one."

Future plans

Speaking before going on air the trio also revealed that after this year's NME Awards Tour, beginning on 29 January, they'll travel internationally before returning home.

"We're doing a European tour and then we're doing a US tour and we're basically touring for about another three months," added MacFarlane.

"We're headlining one of the stages at The Big Chill. We'll be there dancing along with the kids."

Deputising for Zane Lowe, the band used the opportunity to play tracks by Michael Jackson, Burt Bacharach and Warren G as well as debut the follow up to recent single Paris with freshly re-recorded track Skeleton Boy.

"We've rerecorded it with [producer] Paul Epworth," explained Macfarlane.

Friendly Fires appeared in the Live Lounge in November

"He's gone tons of gear and he's quick on the old buttons. It's good to work with him," said drummer Jack Savidge.

"He feeds you well as well," added guitarist Edd Gibson. "I recommend anyone to set up their own band so they can get him to produce it and he'll take you to the tastiest carveries and fish restaurants in north-west London."

Macfarlane: "There was many an occasion when we've bought loads of food early on in the day and the rest of the day no music has been written. We've just been like lounging around doing nothing."

The threesome also admitted to more than a few nerves before hosting the show.

"I think we're genuinely terrified about this," said Gibson.

"I don't think there's any fencing off at all. It's just music we've enjoyed listening too.

"Just stuff we've been listening to since the first day we've been buying music."

"We should have been a bit bolder with it, just play the whole album twice," joked Savidge.

Zane Lowe's takeover series continues on Wednesday night with Damon Albarn, playing demos from the new Gorillaz album, deputising for the DJ from 7pm.

Listen to Friendly Fires' Zane Lowe takeover