funeral for a friend

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 are a Post-Hardcore band from 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.

History

Formation and EPs (2001-2003)

Formed as January Thirst in 2001, the band changed its name when it recorded 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. Though perhaps a coincidence, the band's name is actually the same as a much earlier Elton John song. Funeral for a Friend then 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. Although old copies of Between Order & Model can be bought in some UK music stores.

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.

Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation (2003-2005)

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.

Hours (2005-)

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.

Members

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

Previous members

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

Discography

EPs

Albums

DVD

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

Compliations

Singles

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"

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"

Trivia

• Most of the band dislike the song The Getaway Plan and rarely play it live despite countless requests
• Funeral For A Friend were named after a song by Planes Mistaken For Stars
• "Streetcar" has appeared in EA's Madden NFL 2006

External links

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