It's no surprise that Franz Ferdinand are big fans of the Futureheads. Both bands make fast, fresh-sounding, slightly jerky rock songs, sung in regional accents. But the youngsters from Sunderland are finding it harder to make their mark with their own debut album.

“We never expected the album to be an overnight hit,” insists the band’s frontman Barry Hyde. “It came out, everyone loved it and our job now is to take it out on the road. So far, it’s gone great. Our tours are getting bigger, and we’re just back from America, where the reaction was unbelievable.” Indeed, while Britain has been slow to wake up to the Futureheads’ potential, the Yanks adore them.

It was Franz Ferdinand who took them on a tour across the US and Canada and, despite their strong Sunderland accents, the kids got their fun, furious songs straight away. As soon as the Futureheads finish their current UK tour supporting the Zutons, they head back to America to release their album.

“We love it out there,” says Hyde. “I remember one day we were in the tour bus watching The Magnificent Seven. We looked out the window and the scenery was exactly the same as in the film. San Francisco was warmer than the Mediterranean and on our day off, we went to Alcatraz. It was like a Boy’s Own adventure.” Best of all, says Hyde, no one knew they were from Sunderland. “That’s not a diss to the Northeast,” he says, hurriedly. “We love it there. It’s where we grew up and we have no plans to move. But in Britain, there’s a real snobbish attitude to our accents.”

“In Sunderland, there is only really one rock venue left, but there are dozens of working-men’s club,” says guitarist and co-vocalist Ross Millard. “We thought we’d help bring them to the attention of people who may not know they even exist. We were also hoping to get a mix of our fans and older club regulars. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. All the old guys legged it as soon as they heard us soundcheck.”

The Futureheads’ new single, Mean Time, is out on Monday; the UK tour continues tonight at Manchester Academy (0161-832 1111)

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