Funeral for a Friend
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Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band from
Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...
, formed in 2001 and currently consists of Matthew Davies-Kreye (lead vocals), Kris Coombs-Roberts (guitar, backing vocals), Gavin Burrough (guitar, backing vocals), Darran Smith (guitar), Richard Boucher (bass), and Ryan Richards (drums, vocals). Funeral for a Friend's popularity rose in the United Kingdom with the release of their debut album, ''
Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'' is the debut studio album by Welsh rock band Funeral for a Friend. It was released on 13 October 2003 through Atlantic Records and was produced by Colin Richardson with co-production by the band themse ...
'' (2003). Achieving both a gold certification and three top-twenty singles in their home country, ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'' is often acclaimed as one of the landmark emo records of the 2000s. '' Hours'' (2005) featured a similar musical style to their debut, but also featured more melodic sensibilities, and '' Tales Don't Tell Themselves'' (2007) showed an evolution in Funeral for a Friend's musical style from that which defined their debut, as the group began to diverge from their use of screaming vocals and post-hardcore-influenced guitars, favoring a more melodic rock influence. These albums achieved gold and silver sales certificates respectively in the UK. Funeral for a Friend self-released their fourth album, '' Memory and Humanity'' (2008) through their short-lived record label ''Join Us'', the album arguably being their most eclectic to date. Following this the band tied themselves to other independent labels for ''
Welcome Home Armageddon ''Welcome Home Armageddon'' is the fifth studio album by Welsh post-hardcore band Funeral for a Friend released on 14 March 2011 in the UK and 15 March 2011 in the US. It was also the last full length Funeral for a Friend album released feat ...
'' (2011) ''
Conduit Conduit may refer to: Engineering systems * Conduit (fluid conveyance), a pipe suitable for carrying either open-channel or pressurized liquids * Electrical conduit, a protective cover, tube or piping system for electric cables * Conduit curre ...
'' (2013), and '' Chapter and Verse'' (2015), which showed the band returning to the more metal and
hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
-influenced the style of their earlier work. In September 2015, they announced their break-up and final tour in 2016. On 21 May 2016, they played their last performance to a sold-out Forum in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. In October 2019, Funeral for a Friend reunited as a live band, initially for three benefit shows – two in
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
at the Cardiff University Student Union followed by one in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
at Shepherd's Bush Empire. Following a planned performance at the canceled 2020 Download Festival, they announced a headline UK tour for April 2021 playing songs from their first three albums.


History


Formation and early years (2001–2003)

When Michael Davies, one of January Thirst's original vocalists, quit in December 2001, Matthew Evans (vocals) and Johnny Phillips (drums) invited Matt Davies (later Davies-Kreye) to try out for the vacated singer position. Soon afterward, the band reformed as Funeral for a Friend; the name is derived from a song by Planes Mistaken for Stars, one of Davies' favourite bands at the time. During the start of the New Year they parted ways with second guitarist Kerry Roberts (Kris Coombs-Roberts's brother) and found a suitable replacement in Darran Smith (ex-Tripcage). The band recorded four tracks at Mighty Atom Studios for a proposed self-financed EP with another Welsh band ''From This Moment On''. Upon hearing the tracks, Mighty Atom Records approached the band and offered a two-album deal, resulting in their debut EP, ''
Between Order and Model ''Between Order and Model'' is the first release by Welsh post-hardcore band Funeral for a Friend. It was released on 12 August 2002 (see 2002 in music) through Mighty Atom Records in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britai ...
'' (2002). Before the EP's release, Andi Morris (bass) quit to join death metal band Amputated, with Phillips and Evans also leaving. The band then recruited Gareth Davies (later Ellis-Davies) on bass and Ryan Richards on drums. Matt Davies became the band's only primary vocalist, with Gareth Davies performing backing melodies and Richards taking over Evans' screaming role. In 2003, Funeral for a Friend recorded their second EP, '' Four Ways to Scream Your Name'', produced and mixed by
Colin Richardson Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres. Career Some of the bands he has worked for include: * 3 Inch ...
. In mid-2003, the band secured their first ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' 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 fervent fan base, as the awards winner was decided by public vote online at the official ''Kerrang!'' Web site. In August 2003, Funeral for a Friend opened the Concrete Jungle stage at the
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fe ...
.


Major record label years and international success (2003–2009)


''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation''

On 21 August 2003 Funeral for a Friend were awarded a Kerrang! Award for "Best British Newcomer". On 20 October 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 ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'' is the debut studio album by Welsh rock band Funeral for a Friend. It was released on 13 October 2003 through Atlantic Records and was produced by Colin Richardson with co-production by the band themse ...
'', produced and mixed by Colin Richardson, was released to critical acclaim in the UK. The album did not see a concurrent release in the US (though it eventually released there on 13 July 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 plus Juneau B Side "The Getaway Plan". In the United Kingdom the album received a Gold certification a year after its release on 29 October 2004, which was achieved with a sales figure of over 100,000. ''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 extensively to promote ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'', including a series of European dates in which they opened for
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
. This was met with a mixed reception, as their style and fan base bore little resemblance to the heavy metal background of Iron Maiden. The band joined
Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance ...
, My Chemical Romance and
Moments in Grace Moments in Grace (formerly known as Postcard Audio) was an alternative rock/post-hardcore band from St. Augustine, Florida, active from December 2001 to March 2005. In its final days, the band relocated to Burbank, California and its line-up in ...
for an American tour spanning from April 17-23, 2004. Coinciding with their shows together, Funeral for a Friend and Moments in Grace teamed up for a split 7" vinyl, co-released through Atlantic Records,
Salad Days Records Brian McTernan is an American musician and record producer from Baltimore, Maryland. McTernan was the lead vocalist in the hardcore punk band Battery (hardcore punk band), Battery, the guitarist in Ashes, and is the singer in Be Well. In 2009, ...
, Mighty Atom Records and
Infectious Records An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable di ...
, on April 20, 2004. Funeral for a Friend contributed the song "Bullet Theory" (previously-released in the UK but then-unreleased in the US). In promotion of the split 7" vinyl, webzine
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held a giveaway contest for five winners to receive a record and a signed poster. Also in 2004 Funeral for a Friend supported Linkin Park throughout America and headlined the second stage of the
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fe ...
.


''Hours''

In May 2005 the first single from the upcoming second album "
Streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...
" acted as the band's fourth consecutive top 20 single in the United Kingdom by debuting at number 15. On 14 June 2005, the band released their second album '' Hours'' through Atlantic Records. Produced by
Terry Date Terry Date (born January 31, 1956) is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in rock genres, especially heavy metal. He is well known for his work with Metal Church, Dream Theater, Soundgarden, Overkill, Pantera, Dark Ang ...
, the album was recorded in two
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
studios owned by the grunge band Pearl Jam and featured unusual methods of recording, for example Matt Davies' vocals were recorded whilst in a moving car and on a crowded Seattle street, for the song "Drive". Just two weeks after its release the album was certified a Silver over 60,000 sales and was awarded a Gold for over 100,000 sales on 23 December 2005. 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 Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...
Recreation Centre, prior to the release of ''Hours''. In the United States, they played alongside bands such as
Atreyu Atreyu is an American metalcore band from Yorba Linda, California, formed in 1998. The band currently consists of clean vocalist Brandon Saller, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist and unclean vocalist Marc "Porter" McKnight, and ...
,
Saosin Saosin is an American rock band formed in Orange County, California in 2003 by Beau Burchell, Justin Shekoski, Zach Kennedy, and Anthony Green. The band released their first EP, '' Translating the Name'', in 2003. That year, vocalist Anthony G ...
,
Hawthorne Heights Hawthorne Heights, formerly A Day in the Life, is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Matt Ridenour (bass guitar, backing vocals), Mark McMillon ( ...
and
Thrice Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school. Early in their career, the band was known ...
on the Maurice Stage of the 2005 Vans
Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
. The band headlined the British leg of Taste of Chaos across November with support from The Used,
Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel an ...
, Rise Against and
Story of the Year Story of the Year is an American rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri, Story of the Year at Allmusic.comAccessed May 17, 2007. in 1995 under the name 67 North. The band eventually changed their name to Big Blue Monkey in 1998, and then subs ...
. Funeral for a Friend released the third and last single from Hours, "
History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
", which music video depicts the events of the miner strikes of the mid-1980s in South Wales. Funeral For a Friend closed the promotional activity for ''Hours'' in the Summer of 2006, with a series of UK shows rescheduled from February. Most of the original dates had been cancelled because 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 Park. The rest of 2006 was spent writing and recording the band's third album.


''Tales Don't Tell Themselves''

Funeral for a Friend mentioned the writing of this album during their UK shows in summer 2006 and they started writing and recording at the end of the tour. '' Tales Don't Tell Themselves'' was released on 14 May 2007 in the UK, having been leaked to the internet on 10 May 2007. The band released video diary updates of the recording on their MySpace page. On 19 March 2007, " Into Oblivion (Reunion)", the first single from the album, premiered on the Zane Lowe Show on Radio One. It was given a 7 May physical release, and the video can be seen and the song heard on their MySpace. It reached number 39 in its first week of release on downloads and reached number 16 in the Official UK chart on 13 May 2007. A selection of intimate shows to promote the album were played on 12, 13 and 14 April 2007 in intimate coastal venues in the south of England. Only 200 tickets were available for each show and these had to be applied for via an e-mail sent to members of the FFAF mailing list. Names were then picked out of a hat and the selected people were offered the opportunity to buy a pair of tickets to the gig, exclusive T-shirts were given to anyone paying using PayPal mobile. On 8 May 2007 the band released ''Tales Don't Tell Themselves'' in its entirety for fans to preview via their MySpace page. This album is the first on which Matt plays guitar. On 10 May 2007 the band played another intimate gig for Kerrang! 105.2 at the
Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
Civic Hall Bar, in which they played "Walk Away" for the very first time. This is one of the tracks which Matt plays guitar on live, alongside "Raise The Sail" and "The Sweetest Wave", which were debuted on the full tour in May 2007. The album was their highest charting yet, reaching Number 3 in the UK Album Charts. On 16 July 2007 " Walk Away", was released as the second single from ''Tales Don't Tell Themselves'' and reached number 40 in the UK singles charts. It was announced in a newsletters that "The Great Wide Open" would be the next single and would be released as an EP. The EP, '' The Great Wide Open'' was released on 15 October 2007 through Atlantic Records, negating the release of the single itself.


''Memory and Humanity'' and ''Your History Is Mine''

On 26 January 2008, drummer Ryan Richards made an announcement on the band's forum, stating that FFAF were to spend the first few months of the year recording, with a view of releasing a four or five track EP in March or April 2008. After writing more material than originally planned, the band decided to scrap plans for the EP and released a full-length album instead. Ryan also announced that the new album would contain screaming vocals, riffs and would be closer to ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'' than any of their other albums, although would still be significantly different and more technical, citing that they want to move forward, and never back to any old style. On 11 May 2008, it was announced via a MySpace bulletin that the band would be shooting a video for the first single from the album, "Waterfront Dance Club", on 17 May. "Waterfront Dance Club" was played exclusively for the first time on Radio 1's Rock Show on 2 June 2008, where it was also announced that the single would be released as a double
A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
with the track "Beneath the Burning Tree". Both singles were also released as a limited edition 7" on the same date. The album's title was confirmed as '' Memory and Humanity'' by
Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more " underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, ...
magazine on 30 June 2008, and that its release would take place in October 2008. On 2 July 2008, the band announced the UK tour of ''Memory and Humanity'', commencing 14 October 2008. 9 August 2008 saw the debut of the video for the single "Kicking and Screaming" on MySpace. Later that month on the 27th, it was announced that the band had licensed their new record to
Victory Records Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several record labels. It has featured many prominent artists including Thur ...
for the U.S. and Canadian releases. The album was released via the label on 28 October 2008. It was also released via Roadrunner Records in the rest of the world, apart from the UK, where it was released through the band's own label, ''Join Us''. The release was followed by a tour in Britain, Ireland and northern Europe, supported by Canadian
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
act
Cancer Bats Cancer Bats is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario. To date, they have released seven studio albums and six extended plays; with their most recent LP, ''Psychic Jailbreak'', having been released on 15 April 2022. The band is curr ...
. On 4 September 2008, it was announced via a MySpace blog post that Gareth Davies had left the band, to be replaced by Gavin Burrough ( Hondo Maclean, Ghostlines, The Future). "As some of you may know, Gareth has been living in America for the past couple of years, and recently got married. Ultimately, the strain of travelling between continents has taken its toll and Gareth made the decision that it would be in the best interests of himself, his family and Funeral to leave the band. We totally respect and understand his choice, wish him all the best in his future and we thank him for being part of our lives for the past 6 years." The first interview to surface with Burrough in the band appeared on the Rocklouder webzine in the week of the ''Memory and Humanity'' release. In the 24 January 2009 issue of Kerrang! magazine, it was stated that the band were currently filming the video for the third single off the album, ''
Rules and Games Rule or ruling may refer to: Education * Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), a university in Cambodia Human activity * The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power * Business rule, a rule perta ...
''. The single was released on 23 March 2009. They will also be going on tour with We Are the Ocean supporting to coincide with its release. It was initially revealed in Kerrang! magazine on 24 June 2009 that the band were to release a greatest hits album, entitled '' Your History Is Mine: 2002-2009'' on 28 September 2009. the Compilation album was released by Atlantic records because the record deal between the band and the label allowed the Atlantic records to release a compilation CD at any point in the band's career. The band then decided to record four brand new tracks in order to give the release value to fans. On 21 July 2009, "Wrench", one of the new songs, premiered on Radio One's Rock Show with Dan Carter.
Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
credited them as "one of the best British bands of the last decade" upon the release of ''Your History Is Mine''.


Independent years (2010–2016)


Break from Atlantic Records and ''Welcome Home Armageddon''

On 23 April 2010, Funeral for a Friend announced on
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that guitarist Darran Smith would be leaving the band, but not before playing his final shows. He wrote a farewell message on the band's website. On 26 April 2010, Funeral for a Friend wrote on their forum about their line-up change, paying homage to the departure of their friend Darran Smith, but also announcing the new member. Gavin Burrough changed instrument from bass to guitar, taking over Darran's place as guitarist, Kris Coombs-Roberts would take over his role as backing vocalist, and the new bassist of Funeral for a Friend will be Richard Boucher (Hondo Maclean, Hurricane-Joe, Ghostlines). The band noted: "He's SO good on bass that we let someone with blonde hair join our band. That ought to be an indication of how great he is." The band stated that they are excited for the new material being made and can't wait to show the fans what they have: "The creative well, is well and truly overflowing. Exciting times. Stay tuned, and be ready." On 3 May 2010 the band announced that they will be releasing a special new EP to fans who "pledged" through website pledgemusic.com, the "pledge" options include the EP, a signed EP and even an acoustic performance by the band at a fan's residence. On 1 July 2010 the band revealed that the EP will titled ''The Young and Defenceless'' and also revealed the cover art. It was also announced via ''Kerrang!'' that the newly recorded EP would be released on 1 September 2010; however, in actuality, the downloadable version was released on 6 September 2010 with the physical copies being planned on being released sometime in the third week of October. On 9 November, Funeral For a Friend released a music video for the track "Serpents in Solitude". Towards the end of October 2010 they finished a session of recording for a new album for which a name and date were yet to be announced. On 2 November, they played two new songs, confirmed to be on this album (which was announced as due for release in March 2011), called "Man Alive" and "Front Row Seats to the End of the World". Another song title was confirmed as "Spinning Over the Island". On 10 January 2011, the band released the official video for the album's leading single "Front Row Seats to the End of the World" and announced their fifth studio album would be called ''
Welcome Home Armageddon ''Welcome Home Armageddon'' is the fifth studio album by Welsh post-hardcore band Funeral for a Friend released on 14 March 2011 in the UK and 15 March 2011 in the US. It was also the last full length Funeral for a Friend album released feat ...
''. On 17 January, they released the album's artwork and track list On 24 January, it was announced that the album was to be released by
Good Fight Music Good Fight Entertainment is a business conglomerate that was founded in 2010. The company consists of a record label, band management, sports management, a clothing line and an art studio. Good Fight was founded by Paul Conroy and Carl Severson wh ...
, a move that would reconnect the band with the original label team that released ''Seven Ways to Scream Your Name'' and ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation''. On 9 February, the band released the video for their newest single, "Sixteen". On 5 March 2011, the band played their first ever show in South Africa, at the RAMFest in Worcester, outside of Cape Town alongside
Alkaline Trio Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals). Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
and
Die Antwoord Die Antwoord (, Afrikaans for "The Answer") is a South African alternative hip hop group formed in Cape Town in 2008. The group comprises rappers Watkin Tudor "Ninja" Jones and Anri "Yolandi Visser" du Toit, a male/female duo, and producers ...
. They concluded their South African tour by playing in Durban and Johannesburg on 9 and 12 March 2011 respectively. ''Welcome Home Armageddon'' was released 14 March 2011 in Britain through Distiller Records and 15 March in the United States through Good Fight and later on distributed through Roadrunner to the rest of the world. It was announced as a nomination for an inaugural
Welsh Music Prize The Welsh Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from Wales, as voted for by members of the music industry. It was founded by music promoter John Rostron and radio presenter Huw Stephens in 2011. It was originally schedul ...
however lost to Gruff Rhys' Hotel Shampoo. On 28 September 2011, Funeral for a Friend announced the release of a new extended play to be released in November. The EP is titled '' See You All in Hell'' and it will feature only one brand new track while the remainder of the tracks are acoustic, live session recordings and remixes of tracks from ''Welcome Home Armageddon'' as well as a cover of a Strife song. The band has expressed an eagerness to return to the studio and write the follow up to ''Welcome Home Armageddon'' and they describe "High Castles" as being a "good indication of where we'll be taking things on the next record." The release of the EP is accompanied by a UK tour by the band in October with support from
Escape The Fate Escape the Fate is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 and originally from Pahrump, Nevada. They are signed to Eleven Seven Music. The group consists of Robert Ortiz (drummer), Craig Mabbitt (lead vocalist), TJ Bell ( ...
, The Amity Affliction, The Bunny The Bear and Straight Lines. On 13 October 2011, Funeral for a Friend released a new digital single from the EP titled "High Castles", the only original track from the EP. See You All in Hell was released on 7 November.


''Conduit'' and departure of Ryan Richards

On 22 May 2012, Ryan Richards announced that he was leaving the band. He cited his family as the reason, saying: "I've always put music first in my life – but the time has come now for my family to take the top spot". Pat Lundy replaced Richards in the band full-time, after initial discussions over joining as a touring member. Lundy is the former drummer of London-based heavy metal band Rise to Remain, having left the band in January 2012. After being contacted by the band to come to audition in Cardiff for the role, Pat learned their whole setlist in 7 days for the audition. Whilst the line up change occurred the band was recording and mixing their follow up to their fifth studio album. Across the year the band made few live appearances as they were working on the album, performing at Wakestock in
North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
, both the northern and southern dates of
Slam Dunk Festival Slam Dunk Records or Slam Dunk Music is a British independent record label, promoter and concert organising company, founded in Leeds, England, in 2007. Some notable signees include You Me at Six and Decade. The label evolved from "Slam Dunk", ...
2012 and the UK Warped Tour festival at the Alexandra Palace in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on 10 November 2012. Funeral for a Friend spent all of 2012, bar their brief festival appearances writing and recording for their sixth studio album. Over the year they released several studio updates showing the band members tracking different instruments for the album. On 4 October of that year the band confirmed the title and release date of their sixth album ''
Conduit Conduit may refer to: Engineering systems * Conduit (fluid conveyance), a pipe suitable for carrying either open-channel or pressurized liquids * Electrical conduit, a protective cover, tube or piping system for electric cables * Conduit curre ...
'' for a 28 January 2013 release in the United Kingdom and on 5 February 2013 through
The End Records The End Records is a record label in Manhattan that specializes in rock, heavy metal, indie, and electronic music. Early years (1998–2005) The End Records was founded by Andreas Katsambas in Pasadena, California, with the goal of helping ...
In the United States. To support the release of the album, the band underwent a headlining tour with support acts such as Such Gold, Daytrader and I Divide throughout January and February. However, Daytrader had to pull out of the tour, so Major League took their place on the bill. The band continues to work with Welsh music producer, Romesh Dodangoda, on the album as they did with their previous album. Vocalist Matthew Davies-Kreye spoke of their working union, "To me, he gets our individual personalities and works his magic with each of us, making sure that we're all comfortable with what we have to do for the record." Davies-Kreye has described the reasoning behind the title ''Conduit'' as "the experiences of being in a band" and summarised the album's style as "a post-hardcore record that is not afraid to drop into some hardcore for good measure." The first single from the album, "Best Friends and Hospital Beds", would be released on 12 November with the music video being released prior on 10 October. After its first week of release in the United Kingdom, ''Conduit'' debuted at number 34 on the official UK album charts. Funeral for a Friend completed a 10-date Australian tour in May, which will mark the band's most extensive yet in the country. Later in 2013, the band released a remastered edition of the Between Order and Model EP on End Hits Records, complete with some previously unreleased tracks and live versions of the EP tracks. In April 2014, they toured the UK and Europe playing ''Hours'' in its entirety. During these shows, they also performed a new song titled "1%" from their forthcoming seventh album.


''Chapter and Verse'' and breakup

On 28 September 2014, Funeral for a Friend debuted the lead single from their forthcoming album ''Chapter and Verse'', titled "You've Got a Bad Case of the Religions" on the Rock Show on BBC Radio 1. The band then announced the album's release date of 19 January 2015 as well as a UK/European Tour in support of the album. ''Chapter and Verse'' was recorded in just under two weeks, at The Ranch, Southampton; the record was produced by Lewis Johns. They also announced that Pat Lundy had left the band to focus on his new band Modestep, and that Goodtime Boys drummer Casey McHale would be their live/touring drummer, but they weren't looking for a replacement full-time drummer. Prior to the album's release, music videos were released for both "1%" and "Pencil Pusher". In June, they released ''Hours - Live at Islington Academy'', a live DVD of their show at O2 Academy Islington in April 2014 where they played ''Hours'' in full. The DVD also came with a CD or vinyl record of the show. Also around this time, they recorded a cover of "I Can Climb Mountains" by Hell Is For Heroes for ''Worship and Tributes'', a compilation CD included with Rock Sound magazine's 200th issue, which ended up being the band's final recording. They were the only band who recorded a cover for the compilation who had one of their own songs covered on the same compilation, with Pop Punk band
Neck Deep Neck Deep are a Welsh pop punk band from Wrexham, Wales formed in 2012. Founded after vocalist Ben Barlow met former lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts, the pair posted a song ("What Did You Expect?") online under the name Neck Deep. The song soon ga ...
covering "Juneau". On 14 September 2015, Funeral for a Friend announced their breakup and the 'Last Chance to Dance' final tour across Australia, Germany and the UK, which spanned from February to April 2016; they played two subsequent nights on each stop of the tour, performing ''Hours'' and ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'' in their entirety (alongside other songs) on the first and second night respectively. In October 2015, the band announced American metalcore band
Shai Hulud Shai Hulud is an American metalcore band formed in Pompano Beach, Florida, in 1995, and later based in Poughkeepsie, New York. The band is named after the giant sandworms in Frank Herbert's novel ''Dune''. The two mainstay members of Shai Hul ...
would support them on their final tour, with Zoax being announced as the opening band in December. In late February, the band announced the London shows originally scheduled for 15 and 16 April at Shepherd's Bush Empire would instead take place on 20 and 21 May 2016 at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town due to structural issues at the original venue which caused many gigs to be cancelled/moved to other dates. Due to Shai Hulud being unable to make the rearranged dates,
Raging Speedhorn Raging Speedhorn are a British Heavy metal music, heavy metal band, founded in Corby, Northamptonshire. Career Raging Speedhorn were formed in 1998 from the merging of the bands Soulcellar and Box. The band quickly established itself as a ...
and Creeper played as the main support bands on 20 and 21 May respectively. Their final performance was on 21 May.


Reunion shows

In August 2019, Funeral for a Friend announced two special reunion concerts, with the proceedings going to the family of a terminally ill friend of the band. The two shows were set to be on 28 and 29 October at The Globe in Cardiff and O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. As well as members Matt Davies-Kreye, Kris Coombs-Roberts, Gav Burrough, and Richard Boucher, the band will be joined by former guitarist Darran Smith and drummer/screamer Ryan Richards. After the initial two dates sold out quickly, the Cardiff show was upgraded from The Globe to the Cardiff Student Union, and a second Cardiff date was added for 27 October. On 27 January 2020, Download festival announced their upcoming performance as part of the 2020 lineup. The festival would be cancelled in April, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. In September 2021, the band were a late addition to Slam Dunk festival. In July 2020, the band announced that they would be touring the UK in April 2021 playing songs from ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'', ''Hours'', and ''Tales Don't Tell Themselves,'' also due to COVID-19 the tour dates were postponed, taking place in early March 2022. After the initial dates sold out, the band added two additional dates in Cardiff and London and upgraded the venues for Manchester and Glasgow, which was then followed up with four additional dates in Leeds, Bristol, and Bournemouth alongside a third London date at Shepherd's Bush Empire. Due to illness, Richard Boucher was replaced on bass for the last 4 shows by the band's guitar tech Steve Nash.


Musical style and influences

Funeral for a Friend have shown progression and an increase of maturity with each record. Critics have cited their sound to have developed around post-hardcore, emo,
melodic hardcore Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. It generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and ...
, heavy metal and
screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is an aggressive subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002Access date: ...
. Guitarist Gavin Burrough describes the band's style as eclectic, based on each members individual influences and summarising Funeral for a Friend's style by pointing out "there's a definite melancholy feel to our tracks ..We can punish you with our metallic, angular riffs, and also seduce you with our serene melodies."
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
,
Glassjaw Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and was a major part of the Long Island music scene in the early 2000s. The band has been influential i ...
,
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
and The Get Up Kids have been said to be their primary influences. The band has commented on the uses of the tag emo, drummer Ryan Richards stated: "I have no more problem with being called emo than with being called metal or hardcore, I just don't think any one term or label does justice to the music we do." Their earlier EPs and their debut album ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'' were considered their heaviest work for some time, as their subsequent material used less aggressive vocals and instrumentation; however, recent years have seen a resurgence of such elements and a higher number of 'heavy' songs. "tour de force of audience-friendly post-hardcore". Their second album ''Hours'' is seen as being a part of the new wave of emo that occurred during the mid-2000s. Songs on Hours were seen as the band "transcending their genre limitations", including "History" which combines "melodic interplay and sincere lyricism". While their next two albums followed a different musical direction. With ''Tales Don't Tell Themselves'' they use a more
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
and post-hardcore style with
classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...
, alternative countryFuneral For A Friend – Tales Don't Tell Themselves , album reviews , musicOMH.com
/ref> and 1980s
heartland rock Heartland rock is a genre of rock music characterized by a straightforward, often roots musical style, often with a focus on blue-collar workers, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment. The ge ...
influences. The album uses choral elements for tracks like "Into Oblivion (Reunion)". Their 4th album, ''Memory and Humanity'' returned to a more post-hardcore sound however adopted a more alternative rock influence, incorporating an emo influence with an anthemic rock uplift. All subsequent material following the band's extended play, ''The Young & Defenceless'' saw them returning to a more aggressive elements of their post-hardcore style. Burrough saw it as a capturing of energy that their previous two albums lacked and so wanted to write music more "direct and in your face." In the band's opinion they had always wanted to return to their
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
roots. However, it has also been noted that ''Welcome Home Armageddon'' incorporates more
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
inspired hooks and melodies, the album's more melodic approach is credited in songs like "Old Hymns". The band and critics alike have said that because they released the two on indie labels they had more creative freedom from when they were signed to Atlantic Records. When ''Welcome Home Armageddon'' came out, critics were quick to compare and contrast it to ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation''. Their final album '' Chapter and Verse'' was described by ''Drowned in Sound'' writer Gareth O'Malley as being "cut from similar cloth to its predecessor".


Lyrical themes

Funeral for a Friend's lyrical themes, primarily written by Davies-Kreye, center around personal and emotional experiences. The first album ''Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation'' was focused on a disintegrating relationship, while the second album ''Hours'' was more "extroverted" in its direction, additionally discussing "war, fiscal abuse, alcohol abuse, people not giving a shit".


Legacy

Funeral for a Friend have been said to be a prominent influence on the British post-hardcore scene, primarily with their debut album ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'', a release which is believed by some to have set a high standard for the band to rival in future releases. James Ding of AbsolutePunk stated that: "...the album still stands tall atop of many recent releases due to the quality of the music on offer, and even though FFAF may have strayed from the style that started their career, this is still a landmark album in modern British rock music". In April 2011, Rock Sound magazine inducted ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'' into Rock Sound's Hall of Fame, crediting the album as an influence on albums by bands like:
Fightstar Fightstar are a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generall ...
, The Blackout, Kids in Glass Houses and We Are The Ocean. Blood Youth have cited their work as an influence.


Members

* Kris Coombs-Roberts – lead guitar (2001–2016, 2019–present), rhythm guitar (2001–2010), backing vocals (2005–2016, 2019–present) * Matthew Davies-Kreye – lead vocals (2001–2016, 2019–present) * Darran Smith – rhythm and lead guitar (2002–2010, 2019–present) * Ryan Richards – drums, percussion, vocals (2002–2012, 2019–present) * Gavin Burrough – rhythm guitar (2010–2016, 2019–present), backing vocals (2008–2016, 2019–present), bass (2008–2010) * Richard Boucher – bass (2010–2016, 2019–present) Past members * Kerry Roberts – rhythm and lead guitar (2001–2002) * Matthew Evans – vocals (2001–2002) * Andi Morris – bass (2001–2002) * Johnny Phillips – drums (2001–2002) * Gareth Davies – bass, backing vocals (2002–2008) * Pat Lundy – drums, percussion (2012–2014) * Casey McHale – drums (touring 2014–2016)


Timeline


Discography

Studio albums * ''
Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation ''Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation'' is the debut studio album by Welsh rock band Funeral for a Friend. It was released on 13 October 2003 through Atlantic Records and was produced by Colin Richardson with co-production by the band themse ...
'' (2003) * '' Hours'' (2005) * '' Tales Don't Tell Themselves'' (2007) * '' Memory and Humanity'' (2008) * ''
Welcome Home Armageddon ''Welcome Home Armageddon'' is the fifth studio album by Welsh post-hardcore band Funeral for a Friend released on 14 March 2011 in the UK and 15 March 2011 in the US. It was also the last full length Funeral for a Friend album released feat ...
'' (2011) * ''
Conduit Conduit may refer to: Engineering systems * Conduit (fluid conveyance), a pipe suitable for carrying either open-channel or pressurized liquids * Electrical conduit, a protective cover, tube or piping system for electric cables * Conduit curre ...
'' (2013) * '' Chapter and Verse'' (2015)


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Funeral For A Friend British post-hardcore musical groups Welsh rock music groups British emo musical groups Screamo musical groups Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups disestablished in 2016 Musical quintets Kerrang! Awards winners Articles which contain graphical timelines Ferret Music artists Cool Cymru Infectious Music artists Atlantic Records artists Roadrunner Records artists No Sleep Records artists End Hits Records artists BT Digital Music Awards winners