Prepare for a groove-laden electro freakout when Friendly Fires roll into the Academy.

FOR the past two years fresh-faced Home Counties disco-pop heads Friendly Fires have been waging a war of attrition on the indie-rock world.

It is impossible to listen to their irrepressible groove-laden beats, and funk-fuelled dance without moving.

Sure, it might start with a toe or a gently tapping foot, but within minutes only the truly hard-hearted can resist the temptation to launch themselves into a full-on electro freak-out.

Devotees, along with the uninitiated, will get the full cheeky force of the St Albans three-piece when they roll into Oxford this month, as part of the Shockwaves NME Awards tour.

Frontman Ed Mac Farlane says: “There’ll be loads of old mates there, so we’ll have to invite them onstage to have a boogie.

“We’re also really looking forward to playing the Brixton Academy. It’s been a childhood dream for our band to play there.”

While the tour remains one of the best known showcases of new talent, Ed and bandmates Jack Savidge and Edd Gibson are unfazed.

They’ve already cranked it up at Glaston-bury, Reading Festival, Oxfordshire’s Wakestock, and cult favourite Bestival.

“We also supported the Kaiser Chiefs at a football stadium so that’s the biggest gig we’ve done,” Ed recalls.

“I think we’ve done the whole playing in backrooms thing. We’re more confident now, and the stuff we’re playing lends itself really well to playing bigger venues.”

The gig, on February 17, will see the lads playing alongside Glasvegas, Florence and the Machine and White Lies. They are, Ed admits, in good company.

“We’ve toured with White Lies before and they’re really nice people. We’ve never played with Florence and the Machine– though I’ve heard she’s quite crazy.

“We have played with Glasvegas before. We were first on, so I’m not particularly worried about playing to Glasvegas fans because we’ve done that before and it was all right.

“With White Lies and Glasvegas it’s probably a very similar crowd. Maybe we won’t go down well, but that’s all part of the fun, seeing how the different crowds react.”

The Shockwaves NME Awards Tour has a reputation for out and out debauchery. Will they be diving into the party?

“I really hope that people don’t go straight back to their tour bus, because that’s boring,” says Ed.

“I’ll be sorely disappointed if that’s the case, but I can’t see it. I think Florence will probably be the craziest!”

Will they have any new material to play?

“I think we’ll have one brand new song to play – if we can get it worked out in time.”

And, with the band now stuck into a heavy 17-date tour, which kicked off in Liverpool last week, what essential item can they not live without on the road?

“Berocca (multivitamin tablets) are essential,” he says.

“I always end up having at least five Beroccas a day, because you end up waking up at about three in the afternoon, so you never see much sunlight properly.

“Another tour essential is not hanging out backstage too much, and making sure we walk around the city, otherwise you’re just stuck in a cold dark backstage area.

“Oh… and we also need our Band Of Brothers DVDs – we’re big Band Of Brothers fans in Friendly Fires!”