For the uninitiated, Funeral For A Friend, FFAF
for short, is a self-proclaimed post-hardcore rock band - albeit classified by
critics as an emo-rock band, much to the disdain of its members.
With their unique sound of
pop-tinted fusion of metal, rock and emo, this UK
band consists of drummer Ryan Richards, bassist Gareth Davis, guitarists Kris
Coombs-Roberts and Darran Smith, and Matt Davies on vocals.
BAND HISTORY
Formed officially in 2002, FFAF got
their morbid, slightly unsettling band name from the title of a song by Florida
post-hardcore group Planes Mistaken For Stars.
That year, they released their
debut album under the Mighty Atom label, and found fame with their confident
playing, striking vocals and classic songwriting - all the makings of a
promising band.
A year later, they released their
second EP under the same label, and secured their first Kerrang! Award for "Best UK
Newcomer". Decided via online voting, the band really only had their dedicated
fan base to thank for this victory.
Both EPs have since become out of print, and are much sought after by fans
today.
Between 2003 and 2005, they released 2 more albums, namely Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation
and Hours.
After winning another Kerrang!
Award for "Best British Band" in 2005, their low-profile days came to
a profound end, and they started playing alongside well-known bands like
Hawthorne Heights, The Used and even Guns N Roses.
Courtesy of LAMC Productions
"TALES DON'T TELL THEMSELVES"
In mid-2006, after a bout of
inspirational inertia, creative dry spells, and lacklustre pieces, the band
took a three-week hiatus, and returned to the studio with fresh eyes and fresh
lyrics.
This perspective-altering break
proved most providential, as in the following couple of weeks, the band churned
out 9 new songs almost without stopping - all of which ended up on the album.
"We were just firing songs out,"
recalls singer Davies. "It was like we were possessed. All these songs were
just flowing out of us."
The result of a hard winter's work
was the release of a refreshing, ravishing album that proved a radical and
welcomed deviation from their former music.
Tales
Don't Tell Themselves is described by the band as their best but hardest
album they'd ever produced.
Davies shares how he composed the epic
track, "Into Oblivion (Reunion)", which was written in a
narrative script form: "I've always been interested in writing that way," he
says. "I like the way country music tells stories, and I wanted to try it too."
He sang his draft piece to the band
to solicit their opinions and, according to him, "[i]t became one of the most direct
and uplifting choruses we've ever written. We played the song 6 or 7 times
immediately after that because we didn't want to lose the tinge we had down our
spines. It was special."
That,
the boys claim, was the turning point for them. It was the core they built the
rest of the record around, like writing a soundtrack to a film.
"That song gave us focus and
purpose," declares drummer Richards. "We felt born again, like a new band."
FFAF TRIVIA
- The song Streetcar
from the album Hours begins with the
sound of someone dialing a phone. Some people used the dial tones to figure out
the number, which turned out to be lead singer Matt Davies' phone number, and
he was forced to change it.
- Before joining the band, Darran Smith's
(guitarist) mother went to a fortune teller, who told her that her son would be
successful with something relating to Elton John. "Funeral for a Friend" was a
song from Elton John's album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,
albeit of vastly different music genres.
- Funeral
For A Friend is the first band to be on the cover of Kerrang! magazine before
actually releasing an album.
- Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin makes an
appearance in the band's video for "Monsters".
UPCOMING GIG
Funeral For A Friend is currently
doing international shows in Europe, Australia,
Japan and Singapore
to promote their now critically acclaimed new album ‘Tales Don't Tell Themselves'.
Catch them LIVE, 8th
September (Sat), 8pm, at the Glass
Pavilion, Far East Square.
Tickets are on sale at all Sistic outlets at $85. For more information, visit
SISTIC. HOOKED
HOOKED is giving away one pair of
tickets to this very exclusive event! Simply send an email to
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with your full name, matriculation number, course of study and contact number, and tell us why YOU deserve to see Funeral
For A Friend live in concert!
The one and only winner will be notified via email.
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