The Futureheads

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The Futureheads are a four-member British indie rock band based in Sunderland, England. They have influences such as Kate Bush, Fugazi, Devo, Queen and The Jam. Their name comes from the title of the Flaming Lips record Hit to Death in the Future Head.

The band began as a trio of Barry Hyde (vocals and guitar), Jaff (bass), and Pete Brewis (drums). Ross Millard (vocals and guitar) joined soon after having been in a band with Jaff in college. They used the Sunderland City Detached Youth Project building (where Brewis and Hyde worked) as a gratis practice space, fitting since the project was intended to get young people off the streets by using music. They first performed in 2000, and through word-of-mouth their reputation in the local area grew. Hyde's younger brother Dave (who replaced Brewis on drums) joined later, and their first single was released in 2002.

The Futureheads released their self-titled debut album in September 2004. Five tracks on this record were produced by Andy Gill of Gang of Four. Their music has been described by some as energetic, witty, and cheerful in style.

In February 2005, "Hounds of Love", a cover of a Kate Bush song, was released as a single in the UK charts. It reached Number 8 in its first week. It was recently named best single of 2005 by NME. The band recently toured the US and later supported the Foo Fighters on their most recent UK tour.

A stand-alone EP "Area" was released in November 2005 while the band were working on their second album News and Tributes (name inspired by the Munich air disaster in 1958), which, according to NME in February 2006, took only five weeks to produce. The first single to be taken from the new album will be Skip to the End released on May 8.