Funeral For A Friend

Members: Kris Coombs-Roberts, Gareth Davies, Matt Davies, Ryan Richards, Darran Smith

Active: 2001-Present

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".

To support Hours, Funeral for a Friend performed several low-profile shows near their hometown of Bridgend. 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 Leads 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.

ALBUMS

2003 - Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation

2004 - Spilling Blood in 8 mm (DVD)

2005 - Hours

2006 -Final Hours at Hammersmith (LIVE)