Funeral for a Friend

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Funeral for a Friend
From left to right, Funeral for a Friend are: Darran Smith, Matt Davies, Gareth Davies, Kris Coombs-Roberts and Ryan Richards
Background information
Origin	Bridgend, Wales, UK
Genre(s)	Post-hardcore
Years active	2001–present
Website	ffafmusic.com (US) ffaf.co.uk (UK) Burn Some Bridges - Fan Site Myspace Site
Members
Kris Coombs-Roberts Gareth Davies Matt Davies Ryan Richards Darran Smith
Former members
Matthew Evans Andi Morris Johnny Phillips Kerry Roberts

Funeral for a Friend are a post-hardcore band. The band is signed to Atlantic Records. Contrary to popular belief, bassist Gareth Davies and vocalist Matt Davies are not related.

[edit] History

[edit] Formation and EPs (2001-2003)

Originally formed as January Thirst in 2001, the band changed their name when they recorded their 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. Though perhaps a coincidence, the band's name is actually the same as a much earlier Elton John song, "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding". Funeral for a Friend then recorded their 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. Although second hand copies of Between Order & Model can be bought in some UK record stores.

In mid-2003, the band secured their first Kerrang! award, winning the award for "Best UK Newcomer," beating the Darkness, who won in all other nominated categories. Funeral for a Friend's win was largely attributed to their feverent fan base, as the awards winner was decided by public vote online at the official Kerrang! Web site.

[edit] Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation (2003-2005)

She Drove Me To Daytime Television/Bullet Theory Single

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. The album did not see a concurrent release in the US (eventually released there 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 including "Juneau" (#19), "She Drove Me to Daytime Television" (#20) and "Escape Artists Never Die" (#19).

Funeral for a Friend toured feverishly to promote Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation, including a series of European dates in which they opened for their idols, Iron Maiden. This was met with a mixed reception, however, as their style and fanbase bore little resemblance to the Heavy Metal background of Iron Maiden. In 2004, the band headlined the second stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

[edit] Hours (2005-)

On June 14, 2005, the band released their 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 of recording, for example Matt Davies' vocals were recorded whilst 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, leaving the Warped Tour early to do so. Following this, the band headlined the UK version of the Taste of Chaos tour with Killswitch Engage, Story of the Year and the Used. The band also played on the main stage of the Taste of Chaos tour in the US in 2006, alongside bands such as 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 been cancelled due to the fact that Matt Davies had suffered from a bout of laryngitis. Several other shows were scheduled in the UK to complement these 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, due for release in the summer of 2007. With a new tour expected in Spring 2007.

[edit] Members

[edit] Current members

• Matt Davies lead vocals
• Gareth Davies bass and vocals (formerly of Dopamine)
• Kris Coombs-Roberts guitar
• Ryan Richards Drums, Vocals (formerly of Hondo Maclean)
• Darran Smith Guitar

[edit] Previous members

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

[edit] Discography

[edit] EPs

[edit] Albums

Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation October 20, 2003 Mighty Atom Records

Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation (re-release) July 13, 2004 Ferret Records

Hours June 14, 2005 Atlantic Records

Final Hours at Hammersmith 4th June, 2006 (self-released)

[edit] DVD

• Spilling Blood in 8 mm (DVD) (September 20, 2004 through Mighty Atom Records)

[edit] Compliations

[edit] Singles

[edit] 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"
• "You Want Romance?"
• "Juneau" (acoustic)
• "Streetcar"
• "Monsters"
• "History"
• "Roses for the Dead"

[edit] B-Sides

• "10 Scene Points to the Winner"
• "The System [Zane Lowe Radio One Session]"
• "Getaway Plan"
• "Lazarus (In the Wilderness)"
• "This Letter"
• "I Am the Arsonist"
• "Babylon's Burning"
• "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
• "The Boys Are Back in Town"
• "Pirate Song"

[edit] Trivia

• Most of the band dislike the song The Getaway Plan and rarely play it live despite countless requests. The song has been played a lot while touring America, as it was released on the "Seven Ways To Scream You Name" EP (US).
• Funeral For A Friend were named after a song by Planes Mistaken For Stars. It may also be interesting to note that "Funeral For A Friend" was also the title of an issue of Superman following the legendary "The Death of Superman" comic, as well as the opening to Elton John album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
• "Streetcar" has appeared in EA's Madden NFL 2006, "Rookie of the Year" was featured in Criterion's Burnout 3, and "All The Rage" was featured in Burnout Revenge.

[edit] External links

• Official Web site (UK)
• Official Web site (US)
• Web site (BR)
• Web site (F)