Psychedelic Furs
The British post-punk band limber up for nine shows.
Best known for the tracks Love My Way and the title track from the 1986 film Pretty In Pink, the Furs went on hiatus in the early 90s and regrouped in 2000. Ahead of a UK tour, we caught up with bassist Tim Butler.
Last year the Furs appeared in London at the Meltdown Festival, curated by The Cure’s Robert Smith. How was that?
Fantastic. Usually our tours are two years apart in England, but to play a venue like the Royal Festival Hall we were surprised and even elated by the reaction that we got.
Did you hang out with Robert Smith? No. He was sick that night. We had hoped he might introduce us but he didn’t show up, which was a shame.
Appearing at cultural events like Meltdown, and having begun in the underground, does the gushing validation of establishment journals such as The Times and The Guardian feel slightly strange? Maybe it does a little, but those articles are written by respected journalists that started out as fans. If they’re in their sixties now, then who cares? I will love punk music no matter how old I am.
What can you tell us about the concerts you have planned? Well, we’re working on a new album that’s due out next year, so we might preview new tracks alongside the hits. We’ve been playing a new song [The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll] and it’s been going down really well.
Your last album, World Outside, is now 28 years old. Why a new one now? We’ve wanted to do it since we got back together [in 2000]. We still feel like we’ve got something to say, but we didn’t want to feel under pressure to write another Pretty In Pink or Love My Way. And it feels like the right time.
Was it a bit like a damn bursting? Yeah, a little. And everybody in the band contributed songs, which made for a really healthy process, unlike when it was pretty much down to John [Ashton, former guitarist], my brother Richard [vocals] and myself. In fact we’ve enough songs left over for another album and we’re already thinking about that. That’ll surprise a few people, won’t it?