Friendly Fires

Formed in St Albans, England by three longtime schoolmates in 2006, Friendly Fires were immediately smoother and less spiky than UK dance-punk ambassadors like Bloc Party and The Futureheads. That was thanks in part to producer/frontman Ed Macfarlane’s airy, romantic singing, which propelled the disco-licked guitar-pop on the band’s 2008 self-titled debut. Yet there was still plenty of giddy energy, with guitarist Edd Gibson and drummer Jack Savidge rivaling Macfarlane’s animated on-stage dancing for sheer dynamism. Friendly Fires’ streamlined balance of live instrumentation and club-ready electronics made them a natural source of remixes, while Macfarlane nurtured a range of collaborations with FaltyDL, Dusky, and The Advisory Circle’s Jon Brooks. After 2011’s more concentrated and hard-hitting Pala, the trio lightened up and embraced their retro funk, soul, and disco influences on 2019’s Inflorescent, as heard on the house-kissed Disclosure collaboration “Heaven Let Me In.”