Playlist.....

NME - Hurts Tour Playlist - 'We Listen To Metal All The Time' (31/03/11)

System Of A Down - Chop Suey
We listen to metal all the time before going onstage. People probably presume we light candles and kick back to Vangelis. We don't. We like this band and we like Pantera. It's good to get wound up before going onstage.

White Lies - Bigger Than Us
It sounds absolutely almighty when you're drunk.

Adele - Someone Like You
The 'Live at the Brits' version of this track is heart wrenching. It is a beautifully told story. It is a mid-afternoon moment-of-reflection-type song on tour. Theo strangely plays it immediately after shows sometimes, which I think puts it a little out of context to be honest. Each to their own!

Nine Inch Nails - Closer
It's either this or 'Hurt' and it's mostly this. It's overtly sinister and focuses the mind before going onstage. If things get a little debauched on a tour bus (for example!) one might also be inclined to put this on. That never happens though.

The Hollies - He Aint Heavy, He's My Brother
This is a Hurts Standard. You are guaranteed to hear it coming from our dressing room at least six times every day. It's sad but uplifting. It has a disconsolate back story that makes it all the more emotional. It also features the single greatest moment in pop history at 3:01 seconds.

Saint Saviour - Fallen Trees
We like Saint Saviour a lot. We took them on tour with us. There's a fragile beauty to this song. It was has haunting melodies and a seductive production. It's almost other-worldly... it reminds me of 'Mad World' by Tears for fears in that way. I wish we'd written it.

Clare Maguire - This Is Not The End
There is a genuine argument to say that this is the best song ever written.

Kanye West - Power
There's a period in the dressing room, usually between 7 and 9pm where all you will hear is Kanye West. This song is the perfect mood setter. The whole new album is very inspiring actually, it's so brave musically.

Massive Attack - Angel
The perfect song to play right before going onstage and ALSO the perfect song to play whenever there are girls around. Which of course is NEVER.

Michael Jackson - Blood On The Dancefloor
This is one of many quite excellent songs from the forgotten album of the same name. There's a crossover period in his career where vocal melody gave way to vocal aggression and it was often very exciting, as is the case on this song.