Lots of big things going on in the world of FUTURECOP!

First off, their debut EP on IHEARTCOMIX/SOUTHERN FRIED is out NOW!!! It's full of 3 already instant classics! Pick your fave outlet and purchase from one of these links:

ITUNES
AMAZON
BEATPORT

Second, they just completed a very successful trip to the US with sold out shows in both NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES! People were freaking out from coast to coast, it was unreal! Below, PETER from FUTURECOP! gave his recap of the entire experience, along with photos and a video recap of their LA experience!

Third, FUTURECOP! were guests on JAYMO and ANDY GEORGES's BBC RADIO 1 show IN NEW DJS WE TRUST this week. You can listen to it by clicking the link below. Make sure to listen for the IHC shout out and the NADASTROM remix of DESIGNER DRUGS!

IN NEW DJS WE TRUST w FUTURECOP!

VIDEO MONTAGE OF FUTURECOP'S LA TRIP:

FUTURECOP! AMERICAN TOUR RECAP:

As part of the prep for our big USA and Canada Tour in a month's time we did a few shows over the weekend of JAN 20-28. The aim of the trip was to test some different things out, see what the reaction is like out here and get some serious practice in. So we arrived in New York on Tuesday, inauguration day, it was freezing cold with an unusual calm surrounding the place. Most people were watching the acceptance speech on TV so we breezed through a traffic-free Brooklyn listening to the new President on the radio; Obama had made an instant improvement on our lives, we liked him even more than before!

We arrived at the East Village to freshen up and head out. The lower East Side is a pretty unexpected experience when explored on foot, interesting shops, cool bars and weird restaurants from every corner of the world. After dinner and some beers at a cool little dive bar, we hit the Scion party at Plan B, it was fun but not quite at the level of the legendary affairs they host over the Miami Music Conference. As ever though the crowd was excellent, we made some new friends and headed back to their place to hang out until the morning. The excitement of arriving at a new place often means that I forget the basics, such as the address of our hotel. I can say that it's an especially bad idea to wander in circles (all the streets feel the same in New York!) when it is minus 7 outside...

The following day we left our manager to meet up with various people who should be working with us in the future while we went shopping. It's been a couple of years since I went to New York; it took a while to piece together my memories of the good and the bad places to go. We quickly bored and it was far too cold for uncertainty so we headed over to the modern art museum; I'd forgotten how big that place is, six floors of some of the most interesting work in the world. That took us through to the evening, when we headed down to the Webster Hall, the venue we will be playing on the 26th Feb, to check out a new band Cubic Zirconia. They rocked it, look out for those guys!

The following morning we spent some time at the Russian Baths on the lower East Side, which are supposed to be fairly renowned but this was my first encounter. I felt like a new person post-steam, but the one thing I was beginning to realize about New York is the direct communication which is common from the natives. They don't waste words, and they seem to be too busy for the usual niceties, please, thankyou. It's a pretty tough place…

We then went to watch a taping of the Daily Show: that was every bit as good as I expected, followed by dinner and some clubs with some New Yorker friends, ending our evening in a new club called 1 Oak. A few people had mentioned this as one of the best new spots in New York, the door policy was appropriately rigorous but when I got inside I can't say I wasn't disappointed. The music policy was pretty drab house, while the crowd was a blandly dressed collection of attractive people. It was all a bit Miami Cheese, I hardly ever go to these places anymore but each time I do I am reminded how far away I am removed from this scene! We bailed pretty quickly and went back to the Webster Hall for DANCES WITH WHITE GIRLS’ club night; the coolest thing about New York is the way that you can party on until as late as you want to, every single night!

The next day was the show, we worked on some music in the morning, until we realized that the weather had perked up so I took a stroll around central park, passing the spot where John Lennon was shot. There were a few Scousers (for the non-Briton reading this, this is a name for people from Liverpool) doing some kind of pilgrimage to the hallowed corner. Their high-pitched whinging and unforgivable dress sense made me relieved I wasn't still at home for a few lovely moments!

We sound checked quite early that evening, then headed out for dinner with a friend we had met in Miami a couple of years ago. That was just a random encounter at the time, but we stayed in touch and now it turns out that so much of our lives are intertwined through music, sharing friends and working with the same people; it's cool how these things sometimes work out.

The show at the Mercury Lounge was our first as a headliner in the US, it is traditionally a rock venue so some of the regulars who hadn't done their research may have been somewhat surprised by two guys from the UK who drop electro pop! But the show sold out, everyone there seemed really into it; we couldn't have asked for anything more. There was also a small personal victory during the show; a guy stood right in the middle of the dance floor, wearing a full-suit with long swept back hair, a-la Ralph Lauren adverts or Wall Street stereotypes, was putting up a lot of resistance to the music. He was motionless throughout the set, right up until we dropped NASA. At that point he loosened his tie and began to do the robot dance (perfectly executed I might add, he had definitely been practicing at home). The stage was stormed by a load of girls at the end of the set, as far as I can say this wasn't staged, but there are a lot of people working with us now and we can't be expected to know about everything…

After the show we headed down to the Arrow Bar, for our official after party where THEOPHILUS LONDON was playing (who will be joining us on the big tour, check out his myspace; his sound is so original, we love it….!), alongside RAINBO VIDEO who also played a great set and ourselves. Good times all round, it was an unforgettable experience and the perfect way to round off the night.

We got a couple of hours in before we headed over to Los Angeles. I passed out for the entire flight, waking to the Palm Trees and sunshine of a January day on the West Coast. Waiting in the baggage queue was Edward Norton, who was in a huge rush, probably on his way to make another unsuccessful film! We had to head straight to the venue, driving down Sunset Boulevard I can remember feeling really positive about being back in one of our favorite cities. You can never be sure how much the novelty of a place makes for its allure, but Manz and I must have exchanged the sentence 'can you imagine what it would be like to live here' at least twenty times over the three nights we were there, so LA must have something genuine.

After sound check we headed back to the hotel to relax and take a swim underneath the towering downtown office blocks. Our hotel was in the business district, so it was almost impossible to find a restaurant which was open at 10 on a Saturday; we ended up buying hot dogs from a van on the street, something which we both regretted greatly in the ensuing days....

That evening we arrived much earlier than we usually do when we are playing, as we are huge fans of the other bands on the bill, especially Franki Chan and Thunderheist. These guys both rocked it hard, a really tough act to follow... We were the last band on and I have to say it was probably one of the best shows we have ever done, the crowds' reaction blew us away. We had live visuals for the first time too which were superb, (made by http://itsnotabomb.com) My own favorite memory of the gig was when Daniel, a friend we made during our visit to Los Angeles last year, stormed the stage midway through the set to embrace me and say that he loved what we were doing. He'd been hitting the booze pretty hard, but I hope he meant it. It was a beautiful moment!

I ended up at an after party somewhere in the industrial area with Franki and some friends. People complain that everything shuts in LA at 2, well this clearly isn’t true; you just need to know where to look.

The next afternoon we were due to go to Vegas, but found ourselves with a few hours spare before to go shopping on Melrose Avenue. We both went a bit crazy, the shops and the styles down there are so cool and they have a very pronounced difference to anything we get in the UK, we couldn't resist.

After the short flight to Vegas, we arrived at the Hard Rock cafe, which is quite a way off the strip. This suited us as we weren't really interested in Vegas' more obvious attractions. We have both been here before; it's quite a spectacle but not one that I think I needed to see twice. I always seemed to be surrounded by country types who you might see wearing a George Bush sweater or middle aged men in corporate polo shirts who think that surrounding themselves with girls dressed as bunnies will somehow make them look cool.

We played the set to what was a small but very appreciative crowd, and were then taken out by a nice little group of friends, who showed us a few of their favourite clubs. Whether or not you like Vegas' night spots they are always busy, and that's a great thing to see (I also have a weakness for big, commercial hip-hop; I loved it actually!). I was also cornered by someone who repeatedly told me that I resemble Calvin Harris, which I strongly dispute. Here is the evidence; I hope you will agree with me... Come on, really!?!

I then moved on to the Beauty Bar downtown, which was hosting a dub step night (a hard, bassy, niche London genre). That wrapped up at 5, so we were just in time to head out to the desert to watch the sunrise. The view was, as they say in Vegas, swinging. I have a different opinion of the place after that night, if you let yourself go you can have tonnes of fun, you don't have to act cool every day, right?

I made it back to the hotel with just enough time to pack my bags before we flew back to LA for our final show on the following day. It was great to return, I went out for a delightful meal with a friend at a Mexican restaurant before heading out to the Standard for Mad Mondays. I find Los Angeles girls hilarious, they have a really dry sense of humour, with a cutting take on fashion commentary which always motivates me to make a bit more effort when I am over here.

The party at the Standard kicked, the DJ’s played an 80's set which Manz and I both loved as much as you would imagine. The venue was an upmarket hotel bar, the crowd seriously cool and all this was going down on a Monday night. It was another reminder of how strong the music scene is out here.

We intended to do a bit more shopping the following morning but a midday rise killed that idea, so we headed over to Hollywood to have lunch with our booking agents who have organized the massive tour I mentioned earlier. These guys have done an amazing job coordinating 5 solid weeks, we put on parties sometimes and we know how much it takes to make them work, we were a little in awe of how they have managed to pull it all together like that!

That afternoon we went over to Griffin Park observatory, which allows some of the best views of Los Angeles. We were shooting a documentary for the people who run Binary (wearebinary.blogspot.com); they are filming a collection of interviews on the emerging music scene. The guys are really passionate about the sound, we loved all of the other artists who will feature so we can't wait to see the end results.

After that we ended up at empty spaces venue in East LA, where we played the final show of our intense little week in the US. It was great, nice little house party vibe with a really warm atmosphere. It always seems to go well in Los Angeles, this city seems to suit us perfectly.

We both stayed up all night at disparate parties, convening in the hotel lobby at 5 to make it back to the airport for our flight home. It was quite a week... The real thing starts in Boston on the 26th, followed by pretty much everywhere..... Hope to see you there…. You simply must come along!