Competition: Win a piece of the Hacienda dancefloor!
Listen to the new Michael Head track ‘Rumer’
One of the highlights of Shiiine 2017 will undoubtedly be the main stage appearance of New York’s finest, the Fun Lovin’ Criminals. For those who haven’t seen FLC before you are in for a rollercoaster ride of high octane hip hop rock n roll.
Ahead of their Saturday appearance, we caught up with Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser to find out what they have in store…
Hi Fast, you’re playing Shiiine On festival in November, how are you looking forward to the show?
Performing on stage is always good times as we love to party with our peoples. The line-up is great and we will be able to cross ‘performing at Bullins’ off our bucket list!
What can we expect from the set at Shiiine, will it be a greatest hits job? Or do you have some surprises?
We always see how we feel on the day so you never know. Fans can expect the usual hits and maybe a song or 2 off our new album we have just finished recording.
Sounds great. Looking forward to the new stuff. Do you have a favourite FLC track to play live?
Fans that have seen the band know I switch up instruments quite a bit so I rarely get bored onstage. I enjoy performing all of our songs. Choosing a favourite is like choosing which child you love more. Our songs are our babies so we love them equally.
What’s life on the road like now, compared to back in the day? Is it still rock n roll shenanigans?
We have calmed down a bit since the early days of the band. Being a bit older/wiser and having families hasn’t stopped us having a good time but we tend to only tour on weekends or short periods so we have time at home to be Dad’s. Family always comes first!
What is the best festival set you have played?
It will always be hard to top performing on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 1999. Scooby Snacks was a hit on the radio and the people were well up to party! Touring with U2 across the USA was another highlight. They are such good guys and their fans treated us great. You gotta love the Irish!
And have you ever played a festival set where you have fucked it up?
When you have toured the world many times over 20 years there will always be some mishaps. We will never forget the dust storms at a festival in Turkey or the assault of flies at a gig in Slovenia back in the day!
What are your festival essential tips?
Eat a big pasta and drink lots of Tequila!
Sound advice. Have you ever went to a show and saw other acts who have blown you away – if so who?
Seeing Prince perform at Koko in London was pretty awesome. There will never be another performer like him…
What is on the FLC playlist at the moment? Are you listening to any new bands you can recommend us to check out?
I listen to older music mostly. I’m currently enjoying Damian Marley’s new album as well as A Tribe Called Quest’s last album. The music I listen to has to have soul. I DJ quite a bit and performing house party sets at pool parties is fun, but not what I would choose to hear on my stereo.
Do you have any plans to release any new music in the foreseeable future?
We have just finished recording a new album that will be released next year. We are very excited for the fans to hear it.
Sounds great, we will look forward to that. Finally, do you have a message for the Shiiine on crowd?
Have a good time… all the time!