Funeral For a Friend

Funeral for a Friend, have recently been praised for their latest album Welcome Home Armageddon. This record is a heavily anticipated return to their hardcore roots, and it has even been called, "Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation part two". Where other bands have failed to bring back the je ne sais quoi Funeral For a Friend have triumphed.

The Welsh rockers recently ventured up to Wakefield and I caught up with newest member Gavin Burrough to talk about the new record.

Your album Welcome Home Armageddon has recently been released how has that been received?

Yeah it's great, it's nice to be playing the songs that you've worked hard on over the last year. We're really proud of the record and we just want people to hear it. It's going well so far.

It's been compared to your 2003 album Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation, how do you feel about that?

I think that when we got together,and spoke about the writing process, there were elements of the band that were maybe missing. The ones that we knew people liked about the band and we wanted to introduce it back in. There's a lot more screaming, a lot more energy and it's fast paced, which we wanted to bring in. I suppose in a way you can kind of associate that with like Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation. I think at the same time we've still tried to keep it fresh and relevant.

Funeral For a Friend have been around for 9 - 10 years, why do you think there has been quite a big change in your sound?

I think when you're in a band you don't want to kind of rehash what you have done, you want to progress. I think the biggest change in sound was the third album with Tales. And I think the kind of impetus for that album was that everyone was copying what the band had done, and they didn't want to be associated with it, that was the big issue for that album. Now with this album we're trying to revisit our routes really and try and get that energy and aggression back into it.

The American pop-punk sound seems to be quite particular today especially in the charts, as a British band where do Funeral For a friend fit in there?

We're British Punk, pop punk. No I wouldn't say that, the Americans can do their thing and we'll do ours. Matt (leader singer) does sound a little bit American when he sings, he has a big passion for American punk bands. We're Welsh, but I think if we sang in Welsh accents it would be weird.

You have been awarded accolades like Best Band before, do these things change you ?

Oh they have it's gone straight to my head (laughing). No we're grounded people, we've all come from working class backgrounds and it's nice that people appreciate what you do and say nice things about you. At the same we know who we are as people.

How do you feel about the Welsh music scene at the moment?

I think it's great, tonight we've got a welsh band 'Tiger Please' playing with us. There's so many bands out there at the moment and so many good bands from Wales. When we started Lost Prophets were the first band to really kick it off from there on it's been obviously ourselves; Kids In Glass Houses, Bullet For My Valentine, The Blackout there's loads. There's really a melting pot for talent down there.

You guys are playing Wakefield's Black Flag, what do you think of Yorkshire?

Yeah we have been here plenty of times but not in Wakefield. We've played Leeds, northern people are nice.

What are you hoping for with tonight's show?

Sweaty people, jumping around and having fun.

What's Next for Funeral for a Friend ?

More touring, World Domination, just loads of touring going to Europe next month, festivals over the Summer and then Australia and America later in the year. Just pimping the album out getting people in people's faces, listen to it, it's great

The Black Flag in Wakefield is hotter than the sun, the front of the room is squirming with sweaty fans who are desperate to get a glimpse of Welsh Rockers, Funeral for a Friend.

The claps get faster and faster, as the sound technicians and roadies tease the crowd, taking a lifetime to complete all necessary checks on the equipment.

Lead singer Matt Davies worked the crowd easily with quick wit and charisma, you may have thought that you were watching a stand up act not a gig. In the middle of the set Davies announced that this was the best audience they had played to. The front-man was then hit with the ever popular "Yorkshire" chant, quick as a flash Davies replied, "Thank you I am very happy you are aware of where you are geographically", the crowd erupted with applause and laughter.

The band kept veteran fans happy dedicating the majority of their set to their older music, most of their 2003 album Casually dressed and deep in conversation was played. The crowd reacted manically to , "Juneau", screaming as the first chords were played before jumping and pushing each other to the beat.

They made sure that they made time for their newer material playing a few songs off their current album Welcome Home Armageddon, due to returning to their heavier sounding roots, this was recieving just as well as their earlier material was.

For fans of Funeral for a Friend if they had braved the front, the gig was rib squashingly good but the only downside was that you needed about 3 hours to cool off!

Mountaineer

Up until now the only bands I had heard about from Germany were called 'Die Toten Hosen', which literally means The Dead Trousers, but in everyday conversation it means 'nothing going on' or 'boring'. And another Deutsch band I am familiar with are rockers Rammstein -who are a great way to learn basic German.

Initially when listening to Mountaineer I noticed similarities between them and UK pop acts. The lead singers voice could easily be mistaken for Lancashires' Damon Gough (aka Badly drawn Boy) and the melody of the songs have hints of The Magic Numbers.

Listening to this album conjures up all sort of imagery of the 60s,

the flicks in the hair, the smooth shaped white furniture, the floral print and orange or beige coloured scenery. This is an album compiled of chilled out pop tracks, that some are guilty of lacking in atmosphere.

Among the tracks on the album to take notice of is ' The Real McQueen',which is extreme easy listening. This song is so laid back that it is almost horizontal, the beat and sound are so mellow, but repetitive hooks and interesting lyrics keep your attention. The influence of their sound in this song seems to point towards the American country and western scene.

'Aleena', echoes the trademark sound of our very own Damon Gough, armed with an repetitive catchy chorus, this track would probably be best suitable for single release.

On 'The Real McQueen' album, some of their tracks without vocals could be described as 'musak' and may be more suitable played in a hotel lobby or waiting room. These are all in-keeping with the overall sound of the album, but some tracks may have been best left off of it.

The final song of the album is a repeat of the opening track 'Always Coming Home', but taken down a few paces. Neatly ending the album, and showing there is an order or story that they are trying to convey.

This album is not designed for adrenalin junkies, people who need a therapeutic rock fix or parties. It is as mentioned previously definitely for easy listening, the chilled out sound, will not make you feel strongly about the subject they are singing of but will keep you swaying to it.

Wombats Leeds Met 9th March

Crouching on the stairs,solo, peering through the banister, singing along to the words, lost in translation when they speak but loving every single minute of it.....


In the past these three boys have danced to Joy Division, got lost in the fog, mused about killing a director, been slapped at the disco and relocated to New York. But now they are going to have to cross 'held a karaoke-type gig at Leeds Met University off their Bucket List.

Despite not always reaching the number one or even top five spot, the Wombats, have been hanging around the chars for the last couple of years. The trio has been making extremely infectious music; with clever lyrics, wit and inevitable oo-oo-oohs. These ingredients have always been a recipe for success, and they proved that they were worth their rightful place stuck in our heads, after a great performance in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

With an onslaught of five minute careers these days there is so much reliance of Auto-tune, and because of this commercially successful bands playing live could be unrecognisable. Because of this it was even more refreshig to hear the Wombats perform live. The Liverpudlians were pitch-perfect and sounded identical to their record oupit. The gig itself was like listening to the album but instead of being confined to a car or a house or a bus you were in a union surrounded by hundreds of strangers who appreciated your choice in music.

The Karaoke description is self-explanatory really; rarely is there a gig when more than three-quarters of the crowd know every singly word but in this instance they did. The volume level of the crowd frequently equaled the voice of frontman Matthew Murphy, and through most of the songs he was able to hold the mic to the crowd for the verses as well!

All the hits were played to the frantic crowd; 'Kill the Director', 'Jump into the Fog','Backfire at the Disco', 'Moving to New York and 'Tokyo(Vampires & Wolves)'. Most of the band's 2007 album A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation were included in the set, and a even a few songs off the new album. Despite the newer songs being relatively unknown, the audience's enthusiasm didn't ebb.

The bassist, Tord Overland-Knudsen, seemed to enjoy the performance even more than the crowd, with a grin stuck in his face although he had slept with a coat hanger in his mouth. The Wombats cleverly left their biggest hit until last, which promoted the crowd to chant 'Joy Division' at them - were they doing covers? The band teased a little more before stomping straight into 'Let's Dance to Joy Division' much to the crowds delight. The warm reception they recieved may make them change their mind about New York and give moving to Yorkshire a try!

All Correct - OK

Welsh band OK, are an indie outfit who's newest song Lego has been described as, " a blast of harmonic sunshine upon a grey music scene". The band have had a series of line up changes since their debut album in 2009. Ahead of the release of their new album they have released Lego as the first song off the album.

OK, have created a gimmicky video to go alongside their new song, Lego, which features puppets playing their instruments and generally rocking out.

Joe Paine the lead singer from the band answered some of my questions, with a particularly interesting analysis of The Thunderbirds, enjoy!

OK, tell me who OK are?

OK are a pop band from Cardiff who like to play music that makes you feel good.

Story behind the single?

I came up with the 'fit together like Lego' thing years ago. I got the tune sang it into a tape recorder so I wouldn't forget it. Then, low and behold years later I dug it up and thought this could make a good little song.

Single out this week how are you feeling ?

It's a weird process making a single. What with practising, recording, playing the track live and hearing it over and over during the making of the video. It kind of gets to the point where you can't really hear it anymore. But, I still catch myself singing the tune to myself sometimes, so I guess it's a good sign.

You seem to have a fondness for Lego, but what were your favourite childhood toys?

Depends what age you're talking. I was MASSIVELY into Turtles. Going further back it was all about Postman Pat and Thomas the Tank!

Indie is a pretty popular genre, how do you think OK stand out ?

We see so many bands that seem miserable or pretentious. Whilst this can sometimes be really cool I think we all share the same feeling that we don't want to be like that. It's great to sing about miserable things, just have fun doing it.

What's the best thing about being musicians ?

The chicks and the dollars... ha ha, no, it's cheesy as fuck but being able to travel around with your best mates having a laugh whilst doing something that you really enjoy is the best.

You have used puppets in your video, which do you prefer Muppets or Thunderbirds?

I was never really into the Muppets, I found it hard to tell the different between them and Sesame Street. I was a BIG fan of the Thunderbirds though. I remember getting to the age where you think back to the Thunderbirds and realise how utterly in-practical it was (slides into the cockpits, taking off through a swimming pool, always having the fly from the same place wherever the disaster is). Seemed like perfect sense at the time.

Light bulb

Today I realised that I write the word ventured A LOT. Need a Thesaurus

Not So Tinie Anymore

This year it was my mission to broaden my musical horizons, and I feel I am well on the way to doing that. Last month I ventured to see man of the moment, Tinie Tempah aka Patrick Okogwu at the O2 Leeds Academy.

After scoring two gongs at this years Brit Awards, for best 'Best British Break Through Act' and 'Best British Single', it's no surprise that the audience crammed in to the O2 Leeds Academy, like Sardines.

The room was literally teaming with energy, Tinie's band shuffled onto stage, and as the man himself bounded in, the levels had gone from excitement to hysteria. Listening to the volume of screaming you were more likely to expect to see teen pop sensation, Justin Bieber up there.

Tinie Tempah aka Patrick Okogwu looked like a pop-star/paparazzi hybrid, wearing a fitted beige mack, shorts and sunglasses. The pint sized award winner jumped about the set, skipping from side to side of the platform ready to work the crowd.

Tinie Tempah and his band worked through his debut album Discovery, and surrounding that, was a well rehearsed and entertaining show. Over half way through the set, he decided to start a DJ-vs-band-athon. Asking the audience to decide who was better at covering tracks such as; Taio Cruz - Dynamite, Far East Movement - Like a G6 and Swedish House Mafia - One (know your name). Though predictably he couldn't idenify a winner, he was trying to ensure that his show could include everyone.

Tinie Tempah had the energy of a three year old,constantly bounding across the stage and spinning round, he was dedicated to make sure that everyone was on their feet and enjoying the gig as much as he was.

The man could command the audience to do what he wanted, he asked them to throw their hands up in the air, a sea of arms could be seen, and as soon as he asked the crowd to make a w, for 'Wonderman ' with their hands thousands of w's appeared in the crowd. Following the performance of 'Wonderman' Tinie gave a shout to his friend Ellie Goulding who features in the song, saying that it was shame she didn't win at the Brits.

The gig itself was full of inspirational words to the crowd, but it was clear that this 22 year old man just wanted to spread gratitude for the support from all his fans. He paused the songs for a minute spoke to the crowd, told them that whatever they wanted to achieve in life they could and used himself as an example, before dragging a fan up on stage.

The band began to play and the chorus of 'Invincible' echoed round the venue and Tinie sang the song to the giggling female fan. In the middle of the song he paused and the fan held up the two Brit awards Tnie had won, provoking yet more screams.

Other performances he got the crowd involved in were; Snap, this was set to a backdrop on a big screen of personal photographs from his childhood up until today. The song had an early 90s rap sound and this just added to the nostalgia of the lyrics. He encouraged everyone to take out their cameras and take a photo of him,that he could add and update to the slideslow. From the balcony all that could be seen were tiny lights off cameras and phones that looked liked thousands of stars in the sky.

The best reception was felt with two songs, 'Pass Out' and 'Frisky'. After taking his first break of the night he came out for an encore of this song. Everyone was on their feet during this point and Tinie pointed the mic to the crowd for the majority of the choruses confident that they would be able to sing the lyrics back to him.

Taking another break, the lights went down the band left the stage and a visual of a heart monitor flashed across the screen to the sound of a heartbeat. You could feel the energy in the crowd, this was the one song everyone had been anticipating and everyone around could sense it. Just before the atmosphere became hyperbolic he ran back onto stage and jumped straight into 'Pass Out'.

Tinie Tempah not only proved that he wasn't all hype but that he might want to consider a name change.