Burning down the house

Friendly Fires escaped the nu-rave movement to blaze their own trail as a pop band, says Ed Power

IT was heresy for certain music fans. The dance band Friendly Fires said they’d rather listen to Justin Timberlake than The Smiths. Within a few hours, their comments had spread on the internet. The controversy surprised them.

“We were very sincere in what we were saying,” says guitarist Edd Gibson. “We love pop music and think Justin Timberlake has made some good songs. Obviously, it got built up out of all proportion and turned into this big thing. All we were trying to do was make a point about our appreciation of pop.”