The Futureheads - News and Tributes

On Friday night I saw The Futureheads at The Sage in Gateshead. It was the first time I'd seen them in a couple of years, which is absolutely criminal, because it meant I had forgotten just how exciting a band they are.

The Futureheads got off to a flying start with their brilliant eponymous debut, a record which was one of the pick of 2004's deluge of jerky, post-punk bands and sold by the barrell. They came back in 2006 with News and Tributes which was billed as a more mature, less one-dimensional effort than the first record.

The album really is a genuine progression from the debut. They showed a lightness of touch which hadn't been evident previously. This was at it's peak on title track 'News and Tributes' and 'Burnt' (which, incidentally, remains my favourite Futureheads song).

The new-found maturity didn't cost the band any of the thrill factor and excitement that had made them so great in the first place. In fact, songs like 'Yes / No', and 'Favours for Favours' are more exhilarating than pretty much anything on the debut.

However, the wheels inexplicably came off for them at this point. The record went relatively un-noticed by the record-buying public, and there was eventually a parting of the ways between the band and their record company, 679. To this day, I still don't understand just why the album didn't push them further up the indie ladder, because I still think it's their best work.

With the release of their third record 'This is Not the World', I'm pleased to see that they've managed to regain some of the momentum lost with the second album. This is gratifying as The Futureheads are an exciting, innovative band, who also seem like a decent group of blokes, and it would be a loss to music if they were to call it a day.

Download: The Futureheads - News and Tributes