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The Futureheads formed in 2000, in Sunderland. More specifically, in Barry's garage really. The line-up of the band at that point was Jaff (Bass, Vocals), Barry Hyde (Guitar, Vocals), Ross Millard (Guitar, Vocals), and Peter Brewis, now of cerebral pop-masterpiece-makers Field Music and The Week That Was.
After playing a million and one hometown shows, the Futuremen took the show on the road with a massive helping hand from Slampt Records' Milky Wimpshake. A tour of Squats and Youth Centres in Central Europe came in summer 2001, due to which the band switched out drummers. In place of Peter Brewis ambled a young pretender, Mr David Hyde (Drums, Vocals).
Several singles followed - the first, Nul Book Standard, can now be seen casually hanging out on eBay from time to time. A relationship with the lovely people at Fantastic Plastic briefly followed. 'The Futureheads' was released in summer 2004, on 679 Recordings, and then the band hit the road. Some highlights of 2005 include playing Glastonbury Festival on Barry's birthday, Hounds Of Love going Top Ten, meeting Dennis Hopper on Jimmy Kimmel's US TV Show, and getting that most infamous of Albatrosses, The Second Album under their belts.
‘News and Tributes’ was released in May 2006. It reached 11 in the album chart, and saw the band touring the world and continuing to win fans and supporters with their exhilarating live shows.
It wasn’t all easy though. Frustrated too many times by the bureaucratic nightmare that music had become, the band split with former label 679 in late 2006. The following year saw the band writing and recording, and teaming up with their management to launch Nul Records, solely to release music by The Futureheads. Free of major label shackles, and embracing the punk-rock ethic like never before, Barry, Ross, Jaff and Dave’s independence gave them a new lease of life.
Fast forward to 2008, and The Futureheads exploded back onto the scene with their new album ‘This Is Not The World’. The album was recorded in 3 weeks in the summer with super-producer Youth at his studio ‘Space Mountain’ in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Andalusia. About as far away atmospherically as you can get from the bleak Scarborough farm in which they recorded ‘News And Tributes’, the band couldn’t help but be influenced by Youth’s enthusiasm, and describe the album as one of ‘defiance, optimism and joy.’
Keen to share the joy with fans, the band released 2 tracks as free downloads and played intimate shows in London and Sunderland at the end of 2007. They began 2008 with not one but two tours across the UK accompanying the storming single, ‘The Beginning Of The Twist’, which hit the Top 20 in March. A Top 20 album placing followed when ‘This Is Not The World’ was released in May 2008 to much critical acclaim, with NME declaring it “triumphant…The Futureheads have defeated the machine at its own game and made a record that’s every bit as vibrant and vital as their 2004 debut”. The subsequent touring in 2008 saw The Futureheads cement their reputation as one of the best live bands of their generation, leaving no corner of the UK and Europe unvisited, as well as taking in Japan and Australia, with a packed summer festival schedule to match. The Futureheads’ remarkable year was capped off with some triumphant UK shows, including a special show at The Sage in Gateshead.
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