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Funeral for a Friend

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This article is about the post-hardcore band. For the Elton John song see Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.
Funeral for a Friend
File:Funeral for a friend.jpg
From left to right, Funeral for a Friend is: Darran Smith, Matt Davies, Gareth Davies, Kris Coombs-Roberts and Ryan Richards
Background information
OriginBridgend, Wales
Years active2001–present
MembersKris Coombs-Roberts
Gareth Davies
Matt Davies
Ryan Richards
Darran Smith
Websitewww.ffafmusic.com (US)
www.ffaf.co.uk (UK)

Funeral for a Friend is a post-hardcore band from Maesteg, Bridgend in South Wales. The band is signed to Atlantic Records and Ferret Records in the United States, and Mighty Atom Records in the United Kingdom. Contrary to popular belief, bassist Gareth Davies and vocalist Matt Davies are not related.

Formed as January Thirst in 2001, the band changed its name when it recored its debut EP, Between Order & Model (2002). Taking the name of a song by the band Planes Mistaken for Stars, January Thirst became known as Funeral for a Friend. After losing a member of the band, Funeral for a Friend recorded its second EP, Four Ways to Scream Your Name (2003). Both of the EPs are currently out of print and highly sought after by fans of the band.

In mid-2003, the band secured its first Kerrang! award, winning the award for "Best UK Newcomer," edging out the Darkness, who had won in all the other categories they were nominated in. Funeral for a Friend's win was largely attributed to its feverent fan base, as the award was voted for online at the official Kerrang! Web site.

On October 20, 2003, after recording for the duration of the summer, Funeral for a Friend's full-length debut album was released. Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation was released to critical acclaim in the UK. Strangely, though, the album did not see a concurrent release in the US (it would later be released in the US on July 13, 2004); instead, a seven-track "mini-album," entitled Seven Ways to Scream Your Name, was released, and featured songs from the band's Between Order & Model and Four Ways to Scream Your Name EPs.

Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation saw three top-twenty singles released from its track listing, including "Juneau" (#19), "She Drove Me to Daytime Television" (#20) and "Escape Artists Never Die" (#19).

Funeral for a Friend toured feverishly in support of Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation, including a series of European dates in which they opened for their idols, Iron Maiden. Their support of Iron Maiden met with a mixed reception, however, as their style and fanbase bore little resemblance to the Heavy Metal background of Iron Maiden, and this perceived unsuitability did lead to some negative reactions from the crowd. In 2004, the band headlined the second stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

On June 14, 2005, the band released its second album and first for Atlantic Records. Entitled Hours, the album was produced by Terry Date and was recorded in two studios owned by the grunge band Pearl Jam. The album featured unusual methods for recording, including recording vocalist Matt Davies' vocals in a moving car and on a crowded Seattle, WA street.

In August of the same year, the band won a Kerrang! Award for "Best British Band".

Funeral for a Friend performed several low-profile shows in Wales, including Bangor University and Bridgend Rec Centre, prior to the release of Hours. This contrasted against their subsequent shows, which including playing alongside bands such as Atreyu, Saosin, Hawthorne Heights and Thrice on the 2005-edition of the Vans Warped Tour. The band also performed on the main stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals, forcing them to leave the Warped Tour to perform in the UK. Following this, the band headlined the UK version of the Taste of Chaos tour over bands such as Killswitch Engage and the Used. The band also played on the main stage of the Taste of Chaos tour in the US in 2006, alongside bands like Story of the Year, the Deftones and Thrice.

Funeral For a Friend closed the promotional jaunt for Hours in the Summer of 2006, with a series of UK shows resheduled from February. Most of the original dates had cancelled due to Matt Davies suffering from a bout of laryngitis. Several other shows were scheduled in the UK around the rescheduled dates, and the tour culminated in a slot below headliners Guns'n'Roses at the Download Festival at Donington Racetrack.

The rest of 2006 will be spent writing and recording the band's third album, with a new tour expected in Spring 2007.

Funeral for a Friend

Previous members:

  • Kerry Roberts - Lead Guitar
  • Matthew Evans - Vocals (Aggression)
  • Andi Morris - Bass
  • Johnny Phillips - Drums

Discography

Extended plays

Albums

Other

Singles

  • "Juneau" (2003, from Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation) #19 UK
  • "She Drove Me to Daytime Television" (2003, from Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation) #20 UK
  • "Escape Artists Never Die" (2004, from Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation) #19 UK
  • "Streetcar" (2005, from Hours) #15 UK
  • "Monsters" (2005, from Hours) #36 UK
  • "History" (2005, from Hours) #21 UK
  • "Roses for the Dead" (2006, from Hours) #39 UK (vinyl only)

Promotional videos

While not all of these songs were released as singles, promotional videos were filmed for them and shown in the UK.

  • "10.45 Amsterdam Conversations"
  • "This Year's Most Open Heartbreak"
  • "Juneau"
  • "She Drove Me to Daytime Television"
  • "Escape Artists Never Die"
  • "Bullet Theory"
  • "Juneau" (acoustic)
  • "You Want Romance?"
  • "Streetcar"
  • "Monsters"
  • "History"
  • "Roses for the Dead"
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