Indie rockers Embrace might have a schedule that would leave the rest of us heaving for breath, but they've still found the time for an e-mail conversation with the BBC Norfolk Website. The Yorkshire lads are tuning their guitars and rehearsing their voices for their seven-date forest tour, which starts among the Thetford trees on Saturday 10 June. The concert's 6,000 tickets sold out ahead of the release of their official England World Cup anthem, World At Your Feet. News that the FA had picked the band to sum up the nation's support for their team came just days before Embrace scored their third number one album with This New Day.  | | Steve from Embrace |
It's a turnabout for the five-piece, led by singer Danny McNamara, who were dropped by their label in 2001. They went back to the building block to create their own studio, before recording their comeback album, Out Of Nothing. Bass player Steve Firth tells us why he's now yearning for a holiday and a time for some reflection. Why did you choose to do a forest tour?We love playing in unusual places so when we found out about the forest tour we jumped at the opportunity. The first of your forest concerts is on the same day as England v Paraguay – how will it interfere with your normal schedule before a gig?The match is a 2pm so the sound-check will have to have to be early or after the match. If England win then it’s going to be a great celebration, if they lose then we’ll have to do an amazing gig to cheer everyone up. As Alan Partridge fans how do you feel about visiting Norfolk?We've played Partridge country a few times, it gives us chance to air a few quotes, and watch a bit of Monkey Tennis! How is the atmosphere different when you're on stage for a large concert compared to your secret gigs?The secret gigs tend to be smaller and more relaxed with more chat. The fans tend to be message boarders who want to hear more obscure tracks and B-sides. How did you get involved with recording the official England anthem?Our publishers put our name forward and the FA asked us if we had anything suitable. We played them a demo of World At Your Feet and they loved it even though the lyrics were not finished. We then had about a week for Danny to come up with a title, finish the lyrics and sing it. So it was all very quick and last minute! What did it mean to the band to be chosen?It is an honour to be associated with the England World Cup effort - but very nerve-wracking as everyone has an opinion and you can't please everyone. What would the band say to people who claim it’s not a proper football anthem?Wait until they hear the song over images of football as it really works. We didn't want to do a terrace chant as it's not what we do, we wanted to do an Embrace song to the best of our ability. Have you got tickets for any of the England games?We have got tickets for England v Jamaica at Old Trafford and England v Sweden, so we are very happen as originally we didn’t think we'd get any. You worked with the producer Youth again on This New Day - was it any easier the second time around?Working with Youth was easier this time as we have such a good relationship. However, his nature is to be unpredictable so it impossible to second guess what he is going to suggest with each song, so it is always fresh and interesting. Before Out Of Nothing you always used to produce your own songs – do you think you'll do that again?Youth is now like the sixth member of Embrace. We have a relationship of trust and respect that has been built up over the last few years. It’s great to have someone listening to the music and guiding us objectively, rather than the five of us, with five different opinions, arguing. Never say never though! For your last album your friend Coldplay's Chris Martin wrote a song – what does he think of This New Day?Chris heard the demos and picked the songs he loved and thought should be on the album, which coincides with about 90 per cent of the actual finished album. He's a hard man to impress so it's nice to get his approval. What does it mean to the band that both of your albums since being dropped and getting another contract have gone to number one?We're are so caught up in the day-to-day of being in a band we don't get much time for reflection. I'm going on holiday in July to sit on a beach and reflect on what an amazing couple of years it’s been. You've experienced both the highs and lows of the music industry – what would your advice be to other musicians?Believe in yourself and work hard to make your band the best it can be within your limitations and talents. Get a good manager and accountant. Out of your five albums what's your favourite?Our second album, Drawn From Memory, is my favourite because we recorded it in a rundown stately home during a great summer and we had such an amazing time. We felt like we were in Led Zeppelin for a few months. What’s been your proudest moment so far?Playing Millennium Square in Leeds last year to 12,000 people over two nights as it brought back home that our first ever gigs were in Leeds to 100 friends and family, and how far we had come. Who are your favourite new acts?The Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers, We Are Scientists, The Editors and Maximo Park. It's that time of year again so we have to ask: are you Big Brother fans?Every time we say we are not going to watch it, because it takes up so much of your time and is really annoying, but inevitably we always become obsessed with it like everyone else. | 
