aaamusic | On 07, Jun 2012

Following the release of their critically acclaimed a cappella album ‘Rant’, The Futureheads have announced the release of their new single ‘Beeswing’. Set for release on June 18th, it sees the quartet take on prolific songwriter and Ivor Novello award winning musician Richard Thompson’s track. The band have also announced a string of dates culminating in an acoustic and a cappella show at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire on September 19th.

“Beeswing was one of my choices for the record,” says Ross Millard. “I saw Thompson do it on Jools Holland and thought it was an amazing song. When you’re doing a cappella you’re a lot more exposed when you perform, and the lyrics become really important. So we went for songs that have something to say, that took you on a journey. Some of The Futureheads’ lyrics have narratives, but most of them are oblique and syncopated and staccato and minimal. So the folk songs we’ve chosen are the opposite to that.”

The Futureheads’ unique ability to apply four-part harmonies to post-punk-inflected music means that they’ve always had the potential to make an a cappella record. But various signposts led to the inevitability of ‘Rant’. The first occurred in 2009, when the band came up with the a cappella intro to ‘Jupiter’, the epic tune that would close fourth album, ‘The Chaos’. It reminded the quartet that their debut album included the similarly-inclined ‘Danger Of The Water’; that there had been various a cappella excursions on B-sides and in live shows; and that the group had always naturally arranged and rehearsed their harmonies without instruments.

For those wondering why the band chose to release an album of imaginative covers, Barry Hyde explains the thought process:

“We wanted to give ourselves a break from writing,” he reveals. “This album is an experiment in arrangement from a band not feeling the need to write another album of originals. Learning other people’s songs and re-arranging your own is a great exercise and has freed me up to write a bunch of songs for our next album. And I’m confident that what we do with ‘Rant’ will free us up to do whatever the hell we want for our sixth album.”

Through their musical versatility, lyrical wit and seamless live shows, The Futureheads represent a British band at its best. They will be playing the following UK dates this Summer:

JUNE
24th: SUNDERLAND, Stadium of Light w/ The Red Hot Chilli Peppers
29th: KENT, Hop Farm Festival

JULY
13th: GLOUCESTERSHIRE, 2000 Trees Festival
28th: HEREFORDSHIRE, Nozstock Festival

SEPTEMBER
19th: LONDON, Shepherd’s Bush Empire