Ed Macfarlane
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Ed Macfarlane | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Macfarlane performing at a Friendly Fires concert in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward David MacFarlane |
| Also known as | Ed Mac |
| Born | 15 May 1984 |
| Origin | St Albans, Hertfordshire, England |
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Edward David MacFarlane (born 15 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and the lead vocalist of the English electronic music band Friendly Fires. He is often called by the nickname "Ed Mac" to avoid confusion with his bandmate and guitarist Edd Gibson. He has written, co-written, produced or co-produced all of the Friendly Fires' songs.
Macfarlane attended St Albans School in Hertfordshire, where he met his future bandmates Edd Gibson and Jack Savidge.[1] They formed their first band, a post-hardcore band, called First Day Back, at age 13. Because St Albans lacked big-name artists coming into town to do shows, the three often went into London for shows ("St Albans is close enough to London that no one ever wants to go near it.") Macfarlane looks upon the lack of gigs or scene in St Albans as a benefit to living there, saying to American music blog PopWreckoning in an interview at Dot to Dot Festival in Nottingham in May 2009, "I like the fact that in St Albans, there are no distractions." The band took advantage of this peace and quiet, using Macfarlane's parents' garage in St Albans to record their debut album Friendly Fires.[2]
He attended Nottingham Trent University, earning a BA (Hons) in photography in 2006. He has said his time there influenced his development as a musician: "My course at NTU was great, there was a lot more theory than I originally thought there would be, but it’s helped me no end. We were always encouraged to describe why we’ve created something – which I apply to my music all the time. It’s really inspired me to question my music and think about the sound or feeling I’m trying to create."[3]
Macfarlane is a keen ornithologist and can often be found in the Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire countryside observing a variety of birds. In an interview in 2018 he stated, "it's not just the thrill of spotting the birds, but it's their vibrant colours, their peaceful, innocent nature and the sounds are a real inspiration and source of melody."[citation needed]
Early solo work
Before releasing music with Friendly Fires, Macfarlane released electronic music under his own name, including the Modelwork EP with Precinct Recordings.[4]
