After playing countless hometown shows, the Futureheads took the show on the road with a massive helping hand from Slampt Records' Milky Wimpshake. A tour of Squats and Youth Centres in Central Europe came in summer 2001, due to which the band switched out drummers. In place of Peter Brewis ambled a young pretender, Mr David Hyde (Drums, Vocals).
Several singles followed - the first, Nul Book Standard, can now be seen casually hanging out on eBay from time to time. A relationship with the lovely people at Fantastic Plastic briefly followed. 'The Futureheads' was released in summer 2004, on 679 Recordings, and then the band hit the road. Some highlights of 2005 include playing Glastonbury Festival on Baz's birthday, Hounds Of Love going Top Ten, meeting Dennis Hopper on Jimmy Kimmel's US TV Show, and getting that most infamous of Albatrosses, The Second Album under their belts.
‘News and Tributes’ was released in May 2006. It reached 11 in the album chart, and saw the band touring the world and continuing to win fans and supporters with their exhilarating live shows.
Fast forward to 2008, and The Futureheads are back, bolder and better than ever, exploding back onto the scene with their new album ‘This Is Not The World’. Embracing the punk-rock ethic like never before, Barry, Ross, Jaff and Dave are releasing their third album independently and taking control of their own destiny. It’s going to feel like the first time, all over again…
Annoyed and frustrated too many times by the bureaucratic nightmare that music had become, the band split with former label 679 in late 2006. A silently busy year followed which saw the band writing and recording, and launching their own label Nul Records, solely to release music by The Futureheads. Free of major label shackles, the band are taking back control and relishing being their own bosses.
‘This Is Not The World’ was recorded in 3 weeks in the summer with super-producer Youth at his studio ‘Space Mountain’ in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Andalusia. About as far away atmospherically as you can get from the bleak Scarborough farm in which they recorded ‘News And Tributes’, the band couldn’t help but be influenced by Youth’s enthusiasm, and describe the album as one of ‘defiance, optimism and joy.’
Keen to share the joy with fans, the band released 2 tracks as free downloads and played intimate shows in London and Sunderland at the end of 2007. They begin 2008 with a tour of uni venues and kick off the year with storming new single ‘The Beginning Of The Twist’, released March 10th.
The Keeper
The Futureheads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And under his arm, he carried a bow
All for to shoot the merry little doe
Among the leaves so green-o
Jackie boy, Master, singing well, very well
Hey-down, ho-down, derry-derry down
Among the leaves so green-o
To my hey-down-down
Hey-down, ho-down, derry-derry down
Among the leaves so green-o
Now, the first doe he shot at he missed
The second doe, he trimmed, he kissed
The third doe went where nobody wist
Among the leaves so green-o
Jackie boy, Master, singing well, very well
Hey-down, ho-down, derry-derry down
Among the leaves so green-o
To my hey-down-down
To my ho-down down
Hey-down, ho-down, derry-derry down
Among the leaves so green-o
Now, the fourth doe went across the plain
The keeper brought her back again
Where she′s now, she must remain
Among the leaves so green-o
Jackie boy, Master, singing well, very well
Hey-down, ho-down, derry-derry down
Among the leaves so green-o
To my hey-down-down
To my ho-down down
Hey-down, ho-down, derry-derry down
Among the leaves so green-o
Now, the fifth doe went across the brook
The keeper fetched her with his crook
Where she's now you must not look
Among the leaves so green-o
Jackie boy, Master, singing well, very well
Hey-down, ho-down, derry-derry down
Among the leaves so green-o
To my hey-down-down
To my ho-down down
Hey-down, ho-down, derry-derry down
Among the leaves so green-o
The Futureheads' song "The Keeper" tells the story of a keeper, who wears a hunting coat, carries a bow, and shoots at does among the green leaves. The song is structured as a traditional folk song, with the repetition of the phrase "among the leaves so green-o" at the end of every verse. The verses describe the keeper's attempts to catch the does, with the first doe being missed, the second doe being trimmed and kissed, the third doe going unnoticed, the fourth doe being brought back and kept, and the fifth doe being caught with a crook.
The song is about the power struggles between the keeper and the natural world. The keeper represents the human desire to control and conquer nature, while the does represent the untamed and unpredictable elements of the world. The repetition of the phrase "among the leaves so green-o" creates a sense of the wild and untamed, while the keeper's attempts to catch the does show the futility of trying to control nature.
Overall, "The Keeper" is a commentary on the relationship between humanity and the natural world. It warns against the dangers of trying to dominate nature, and instead celebrates the beauty and power of the untamed world.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, the keeper wore a hunting coat
The man in charge wore a coat made for hunting
And under his arm, he carried a bow
He had a weapon, a bow, in his possession
All for to shoot the merry little doe
He was hunting for the small, joyful deer
Among the leaves so green-o
In the middle of the green foliage
Jackie boy, Master, singing well, very well
The man leading the song sang with expertise and confidence
Hey-down, ho-down, derry-derry down
A refrain used in the song
To my hey-down-down
A repetition of the refrain
To my ho-down down
Another repetition of the refrain
Now, the first doe he shot at he missed
The first deer he aimed at, he didn't hit
The second doe, he trimmed, he kissed
He hit the second deer and touched it tenderly
The third doe went where nobody wist
The third deer disappeared without anyone knowing where it went
Now, the fourth doe went across the plain
The fourth deer ran across the open field
The keeper brought her back again
The man caught the deer and brought it back
Where she′s now, she must remain
The deer is currently held captive
Now, the fifth doe went across the brook
The fifth deer crossed a small body of water
The keeper fetched her with his crook
The man used a hook-shaped tool to retrieve the deer
Where she's now you must not look
The location of the captured deer must remain hidden
Among the leaves so green-o
In the midst of the greenery
Writer(s): Barry Hyde, David Craig, David Hyde, Ross Millard
Contributed by Colin P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TheGarethanthjones
you cannot get more mackem folk than that. What true legends the Futureheads are for Sunderland and music in general.
@66winchester666
Damn, you have no idea how long I've been looking for this! :)
@HellSkater19
Finally!!!! Been searching for this ever since i heard them in All saints basement sessions
@perpetualgrump8508
If there's any time for Rant Series 2, this is it! :)
@_jake_doran
Still a beautiful tune
@O2backstagechat
Glad you think so :)
@diasquiltersnewsletter8701
great stuff - thanks guys
@andywalker9880
Bloody mint.
@alisonbrowning9620
love it
@geolachness
Cool vid