Room Thirteen talk to the funky Futon.
R13: How would you describe your sound to any of our readers who haven't heard it yet?
Futon: Punked up electro with no keyboards and lots of guitars.
R13: Who or what has influenced your sound the most?
F: Punk – the attitude rather than the sound.
R13: You're currently working on your third album with Tim Simenon, how's that going?
F: Great, it's finished ! We recorded it in Bangkok. It was the first time we worked with a producer so we were a little apprehensive but in actual fact Tim worked wonders with the songs and brought the best out them and us as a band.
R13: What are you most proud of about this album?
F: The track 'Love So Strong' we recorded it before on our 'Lonebites' album but never captured the true essence of the song. It's a love song but also about the death of a dear friend – so it's like a wintery love song. The version we did for 'Pain Killer' is the perfect balance between love and sorrow.
R13: You supported Avril Lavigne, how did your sound go down with her fans?
F: Not sure, we just concentrated on the people at the front that were there for us, they left and we left straight after.
R13: You met when Gene & Oh and were running a Bangkok club night, what kind of music did you play?
F: We still do the club. It's called REHAB then it was electro, now it's electro and anything that tickles our fancy.
R13: What's the music scene in Bangkok like compared to that in Europe?
F: A lot more open minded but not as focused. So better and worse.
R13: Are there any things about Europe or European fans that surprise you when you've toured here?
F: Yes .. we expected people in Paris and London to be laid back but they were jumping around like mad!
R13: Suede drummer Simon Gilbert joined the band a couple of years back, where Suede big in Bangkok and was his previous success at all daunting in that case?
F: Yes Suede and the Manics were the biggest 2 Britpop bands in Thailand. His success didn't really worry us because we are so different and make no attempt to copy Suede, even though we were all into the them. We weren't scared of Simon though because we knew he's a big softy.
R13: Why did you choose Strap It On as the first single? Is it reflective of the overall sound on this album?
F: It's the most crossover track between our old sound and new sound, the perfect bridge between the two Futons.
R13: How do you satisfy the demand for tour dates all over the world?
F: We love travelling and touring around the world but also love being in Bangkok so are very cautious about being away too long but leave often.
R13: What's been your greatest success to date?
F: So many different levels to choose from like winning over an audience of 3,000 in Vietnam that had never heard our music before, to pulling it off in hip clubs in Tokyo and London. Playing back the mixes of the latest album 'Pain Killer' in a bamboo hut in the middle of the jungle was a definite high.
R13: Will you have the chance to play any UK festivals this year? We'd love to see you!
F: We would love to come back to the UK -especially in the Summer when it's warm !