Organised chaos at Sound of Live

The UAE seems to have an amazing knack of lining up a diverse range of live performances on the same day — for example, last weekend, we were presented with the Solomon's choice of Vanilla Ice or Il Divo — and this Friday it's no different. Do you put on your tightest, flashiest little dress and strut over to Peppermint for French house DJ and all-round happy bloke David Guetta? Or do you pull on your jeans and vintage band T-shirt and mooch your way down to Chi for Futureheads, Athlete and the godfather of hip-hop, Grandmaster Flash?

We spoke to Athlete and Futureheads, performing at Sound of Live to find out why they think you should send your hard-earned cash their way.

The Futureheads

The Sunderland-based quartet hit the big time with a cover of Kate Bush's Hounds of Love, and return this spring with their fourth album, The Chaos.

Why you should see them: It's your chance to hear brand new tracks live before anyone else, as the lads only take their new material on tour after the album release at the end of this month. tabloid! chatted to singer-guitarist Ross Millard (below, left) as he relaxed at home before the album-release "gauntlet" begins.

What can we expect from the new album?

We went back to the band's original manifesto — fast, twists and turns and not too much repetition. We spent a lot of time on the arrangement and the harmonies — it's much more intricate than the last one. It's about bringing the chops back. And there's nothing more fun than playing something live that you've had to work so hard to learn.

Are you going to play it live in Dubai?

We'll be playing quite a few new songs, but I don't think we'll drown people in the new stuff — there's nothing worse than playing 10 songs to an audience that's hearing them for the first time. We'll play some of the old stuff with that festival feel too.

2010 marks a decade of Futureheads...

Jaff [Craig, bass] and Barry [Hyde, lead vocals] want to make a big deal out of it and put something on. I'm not sure how I feel. It wasn't until 2004 that the first album came out. But it's still worth celebrating. Not many bands get to spend 10 years together without it falling apart or someone pulling the plug.

Futureheads are quite vocal about filesharing. Can the dilemma ever be solved?

It's a question that has infinite answers. We're fine about people taking our music — the thought of someone listening to our music is better than not. But I feel like that person has a moral obligation to financially remunerate the band in some way — buying a T-shirt or coming to see a concert. Individually, that's okay, but if everyone does that, no-one would be able to make albums. It comes down to personal ethics. It's easy to sit in front of your computer and not think about all the jobs, all the people and all the work that went into it.

You're releasing the album on your own imprint after two records with a major label. Why?

I think there's a trade-off we have come to appreciate — we own 100 per cent of our copyright. Creatively, we get to do what we like, that's far more liberating that the trade-off of a major label... where you have Lady Gaga bringing in millions so you can pay for the smaller bands and indie projects.

Having your own copyright is surprisingly lucrative, and the way the music business is going, I think there will be lot of bands going that way. Maybe going back to ground zero will find bands who want to make a living out of the business, who really want to do it and not just be famous or be a TV presenter. It seems like there is a lot of that in British music right now.

Athlete

British indie band Athlete may be an alternative rock outfit, but they don’t see themselves as the stereotypical glum band belting out dark songs. “We are not a cool, stand-offish band — we want to engage the audience too,” says keyboard player and vocalist Tim Wanstall.

What can we expect from your gig?

This is our first time in Dubai and we want to make it a memorable one. At the moment, we are trying to put together a collection of all our hit singles. One of reasons why we have lasted more than a decade now is because we are not a cool, stand-offish band.

What makes our band special is that we try to engage our audience. We want them to sing along too.

Tell us about your most memorable concert?

Any concert in Glasgow is a memorable one for us. The thing about Glasgow and its people is that they don’t need a reason to celebrate.

For them, every night is a party night and we love the fact that the crowd makes so much noise. At some point it felt like we were in the Beatles for a day. The concert where we supported U2 in 2005 at Twickenham stadium in London was a fantastic experience. Though we didn’t get to interact with U2 (maybe they were busy hanging out with Kofi Annan), it was a great feeling watching them play.

What has been the highlight of your career?

Being nominated for the Mercury Prize for our debut album Vehicles and Animals. We would not have been around right now if that nomination hadn’t happened. That award nomination made a huge difference to us, because it got people from all over the world together.

Who has been your greatest influence?

The Flaming Lips and Grandaddy. They make creating music seem like the greatest joy on earth.

How does it feel when your singles like Tourist and Wild Wolves are played in teen favourites The O.C. and Gossip Girl?

We don’t harbour the feeling that our songs are beyond popular sitcoms.

Sometimes, it helped us pay our mortgages and we are always happy to hear them play anywhere.