To those of us set to traipse around Byron Bay for Splendour in the Grass in a few months, you’d be all kinds of mad to miss out on the self-described “cheery revelry” of Friendly Fires’ live show. Blending a colourful Brazilian carnival vibe with a nod to DFA’s disco-funk aesthetic – all the while showcasing frontman Ed MacFarlane’s sexed-up dance moves – we can expect all the energy of their debut self-titled album, and then some.

Speaking on behalf of this St. Albans-based trio, drummer Jack Savidge is enthusiastic about the dance-punk scene that they have taken captive with their clever, hook-laden tunes. Nowhere better is their musical savvy exemplified than in their decision to team up with producer Paul Epworth – the man behind the now abandoned Phones moniker – to produce two of the most prominent tracks, Skeleton Boy and Jump in the Pool, from their debut album.

“We’ve forged a great working relationship with Paul, so recording with him is quite easy,” Savidge remarks. “It’s an extension of how we work on our own, really. We just sit around in his little shed in West London. Rather than having to be a big studio with two engineers, a vocal booth and all the rest, we just record parts straight into the computer and we can fiddle with them immediately.”

The success of the Epworth-produced tracks has led Friendly Fires to forego their usual practice of self-producing to have the man who has attained the art of the indie-club remix produce a lot more of their sophomore album. A move that will hopefully see it embraced as eagerly by critics and dancefloors as their debut self-titled was almost a year ago. “We’re going to work with Paul for quite a bit of it, and maybe have the odd song done with someone else just to mix things up and get something different out of it.”

On just who those “someone else’s” might be, Savidge is tight-lipped, but perhaps simply because their focus currently lies elsewhere. “We haven’t really started working much on the next record. We’ve just been mucking around with a lot of timbrey loops and that sort of thing, so there will probably be the results of that. But we’ve got a long time left of touring, with the best part of the year before we’re finished with that.”

Of course, there are always the dream prospects. “We certainly wouldn’t turn away James Murphy if he offered to do something with us,” Savidge laughs. He relishes the opportunity to discuss one of Friendly Fires’ major disco-funk influences, DFA Records. “We have a huge respect for their artists. They always put out really good records, and they have really small signings,” he gushes. “The latest thing that really caught my ears was Gavi Russem’s remix of Oasis by Peter Dundov from DFA. Also Delia Gonzalez. I think even in ten years time they’re still going to be really successful.”

The animation in Savidge’s voice increases exponentially as he goes on to talk about the remix phenomenon that led to Friendly Fires’ huge online success. The trio is heavily involved in the dance music scene, with Savidge admitting to sacrificing his day off to perform DJ duties later that evening.

“There’s that Thin White Duke remix; I think it’s going to be a really big thing in all camps. The stuff they’ve done in the past with The Killers and so on, they’re always huge on the dancefloor, but there’s nothing remotely cheesy about it. It’s just a really tasteful piece of music. We’ve also got a Wild Geese remix coming out. It’s sort of a secret project by a friend of ours who’s a DJ on the proper house circuit, a kind of – œKeeper of the Flame’, who still uses vinyl. We have a lot of love for the house circuit. And another remix is coming out that will have amazing piano, big breaks, real house style.”

Of course, not every topic is met by Savidge with such enthusiasm. Video clips have so far been a self-confessed struggle for the nice-looking trio. They’re not altogether comfortable with the hammy emoting required for some of their moodier tracks. But persist they will. “I don’t know, the reason that the video for Skeleton Boy succeeded a bit more is because we are doing what we normally do, just playing live. That’s not too much of a problem for us because we do it every day of our lives. But it is tough to be asked to stare moodily, lip sync and so on. One day we’ll manage to perfect our Backstreet Boys moody stare off into the distance.”

And perhaps it will be beyond a mass of cheery revellers jostling about on the gnarled lawn of Byron Bay’s Belongil Fields this July.

Friendly Fires will pay us a visit this winter to play Splendour In The Grass and three sideshows.

Fri Jul 24 – Perth, Amplifier
Tue Jul 28 – Sydney, Manning Bar
Wed Jul 29 – Melbourne, Prince Bandroom
Sat Jul 25 & Sun Jul 26 – Byron Bay, Splendour In The Grass