Interview: Funeral For A Friend

As if one UK Tour in 2011 wasn’t enough – and it wasn’t! - Funeral For A Friend are about to set off on another. I spoke to guitar turned bass player Gavin Burrough about tour, the latest album and legendary crooner Tom Jones…

How has the touring been this year?

Great! The new album has been really well received, we have been playing a lot of new material live and it seems to be working well alongside the older ones. Earlier in the year we completed a mega tour of the UK, it was great to play some places we had previously never been like Saltash and Penrith.

Do you have a favourite stop on tour?

Anywhere that’s hot, has a beach, and waterproof money, ha that would be Australia then!

How do you cope with touring these days?

Im not sure the word “cope” really applies to touring for me. It’s never a chore to travel around the world meeting different people in different situations. It’s probably the most enjoyable aspect of what we do. 

Which tracks do you most enjoy playing on tour?

I suppose it depends really. There are certain old tracks that are always a staple of the set like ‘Juneau’, ‘Roses For The Dead’ and ‘Escape Artists Never Die’, they are always super fun to play. I probably just as enjoy the new tracks though, they can be more unpredictable because you are not sure how people will react to them. 

Funeral For A Friend have had quite a few line-up changes throughout the years, do you think this has had an effect on the music?

Well seeing as I am a newer member I’d probably have to say yes. The other guys have been doing this for over 10 years now, it’s not as though they had lost interest just maybe a little perspective. I suppose seeing how excited me and Rich were about the band kind of reinvigorated them and gave them that perspective. Both me and Rich had our part to play in the writing process, with different members brings a different dynamic. 

The latest album Welcome Home Armageddon has been labelled by some as 'Casually Dress & Deep In Conversation: Part Two'. Do you think there’s any truth in that?

Nah not really, it’s true that we were focused on bringing back a heavier, more intense sound that was represented in the earlier stuff. But we are not in the game to rehash versions of old songs. I think ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’ stands testament to this, having a clear defined sound of its own.

How was the recording process for ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’?

The album was recorded over the space of a month with our good friend and producer Romesh Dodangoda. We have worked with Romesh a number of times before, namely Memory and Humanity our fourth studio album, it was pretty seamless, picking up where we had left off before. It was nice to work in an environment where everybody was on the same page.

Funeral For A Friend have been around for a while now, what has been the highlight of the last 10 years?

For me it would have to be joining the band just over 3 years ago. It’s been an absolute whirlwind that which I could never have anticipated; the best years of my life. 

Have you had any regrets?

Nope, not a single one

You played Download Festival this summer, which bands on the line up did you check out?

We were pretty busy that day so didn’t really get to see that many bands; I think I caught a bit of letlive, they were awesome and I remember I was being interviewed, I could hear Down playing Walk – Pantera …I almost weed myself!

What do you guys do when you’re not making music and touring?

The band keeps us pretty busy, but for me, Ryan and Rich we have another band called Ghostlines which we work on. It’s very mellow and chilled out, the antithesis of FFAF I guess.

Wales has produced a lot of good musicians over the years, who are your favourites at the moment? 

Tom Jones … got to love that fella! Some great bands in Wales though at the moment Tiger Please, Straight Lines, The Dead Wretched. I could go on forever! 

Do you think Funeral For A Friend will still be around in another 10 years? And what do you think you will you be doing in 2021? 

As long as we have limbs and mouths to make music we will still be here, barring some freak boating accident! 

Interview: Rise To Remain

When you have the son of Iron Maiden front man Bruce Dickenson in your band, you’re bound to draw in the crowds. But metalcore five-piece Rise To Remain have still managed to hold their own.

The band formed in 2008 after two different acts merged. “Pat (Lundy, drums) and I we’re in a band called 12 Ton Method and Will (Homer, rhythm guitar), Austin (Dickinson, lead vocals) and Ben (Tovey, lead guitar) used to play in Halide. They were the two bands that collided and quite a few Halide songs are on the ‘Bridges Will Burn’ EP” said bassist Joe Copcutt.

Pat feels that this has helped to shape Rise To Remain’s sound. “I think everyone in the band came from separate musical backgrounds and had different upbringings as well. We definitely have a mix of everyone’s best bits. There’s always something new and fresh on the table. It does take a bit of consolidation but it’s good for the writing process.”

Rise To Remain’s debut gig was a somewhat daunting set at 2008’s Download Festival.  “I’ve never been so nervous before a show. We were all pooing it” said Joe. It took a whole month of rehearsals to make sure the band were ready for their opening slot on the third stage. “We had about 4 weeks to get tight. I was only 17 at the time so we really had to get our act together and step up a bit” said Pat. “It also taught us a lot because we saw all of our favourite bands that weekend and we were like “shit, so this is how it goes down”. So it made us just knuckle down all through 2009 and 2010 and its made for a pretty good 2011 hopefully, fingers crossed.”

Since their debut gig, the band have supported some pretty big names including Whitechapel, Hatebreed, Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium and, of course, Iron Maiden on the Indonesian leg of their world tour. “It’s funny because loads of the bands that we’ve had the privilege to tour with were our favourite bands when we were growing up. They were all a massive influence and it’s great because we get to learn a lot from touring with them” said Joe. But it was the band’s support slot for Korn on their UK tour last year that really sticks out for Pat. “Korn got us in the biggest rooms that we’ve ever played in the UK so that was a bit of an eye opener”

Rise To Remain have recently finished recording their debut full length album which is due to come out at the end of the summer. “We got to record with Colin Richardson (who has worked with Machine Head, Bullet For My Valentine and Slipknot amongst others) which was a dream come true” said Joe; “We also recorded it in Chesterfield which was really peaceful. We’re all from London and it’s a bit hectic there, so it was nice just to get in the middle of nowhere and zone out for a couple of months. We’re really proud of the outcome and we think it sounds great. We just hope everyone else does, but we’ll find out soon enough.”

Some of the new material has been aired during their stint supporting Funeral For A Friend on their UK tour, with new single ‘The Serpent’ – currently available as a free download – being used to open their set. “It’s been nice to play some of the new stuff and we’re really looking forward to playing a whole set of the new album” said Joe. Pat adds; “It’s nice to change it up a bit. We’ve been touring the EP for a long time so when we do our headline tour, getting to play the majority of the new material is gonna be great for us.”

A busy summer awaits for Rise To Remain as they will be playing various European festivals, including Download and Sonisphere in the UK, where the band are becoming regulars on the line-up. “I love festival season” said Joe; “every time it comes around we always get really excited because the weather is always nice and you get to meet up with loads of mates from different bands and stuff which is always a good laugh”. The boys are now festival experts and have some top tips for the festival going public. “Bring baby wipes, its gets messy” said Joe, while Pat believes the best advice is to pace yourself. “Just stay hydrated. If you’re at a festival and you start to feel a little woozy, it can make for a pretty shit evening. Just take an hour off drinking and have a water. You’ll blow out at about 2:30pm if there’s a heat wave at any English festival. You’ll be stuffed”

Festival season will be followed by the band’s next headline tour for which the dates are yet to be announced. Or course, the lads are pretty used to travelling the world now and list ‘company, music and a positive attitude’ amongst their tour bus essentials. “We just listen to music and Pat chugs barrels of Lucozade” said Joe.

So with a high-powered set of brutal metalcore anthems – and the DNA of a metal legend – Rise To Remain are sure to continue to climb the festival bills in 2012.  

Click For Free Download

Pasta for dinner every day, only using one sheet of toilet paper at a time, wearing three hoddies at once to save you having to put the heating on. We all know that budget is tight. So when bands offer us music for the price of a glass of tap water – that’s ‘free’ for those of you who only drink the stronger stuff – it’s time to rejoice!

The free download offer is becoming increasingly common of late, particularly with those up-and-coming bands. Many simply require you to give them your email address or ‘Like’ their Facebook page in return for a track, but of course you can always send the emails to your junk mail folder or unfriend them once you’ve bagged the freebies. Best of all, it’s legal. So no guilty conscious.

Here are some recent gems you can get your hands on for nothing…

Funeral For A Friend – Front Row Seats To The End Of The World

These Welsh rockers are in fact, not exactly an up-and-coming band, with five successful albums and some pretty impressive festival slots under their belts. Nevertheless, they have still decided to give the fans this track, taken from their next album 'Welcome Home Armageddon' which is due for release on March 14^th.

Ambition Is Critical – The Blackout

Here is another generous Welsh wonder. These six lads from Merthyr Tydfil deliver stomping hardcore anthems, and this one is absolutely free. Their live shows are always fantastic too, filled with tremendous energy and lots of comedy banter between the two front men, Gavin Butler and Sean Smith. 

Lower Than Atlantis – Punk On The Covers

Grunge punk band Lower Than Atlantis’ debut album ‘Far Q’ has received great reviews for its angst and lyrical genius. But the band also decided to release an EP of cover songs, and give it away for free. The EP includes their own take on classics such as The Police's 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', Foo Fighter's 'Everlong’ and Paramore's 'That's What You Get'.

 

The King Blues – We Are Fucking Angry

Opinionated ska punk band, The King Blues, have released an anthem for all those student protesters and government haters out there, and the message is pretty clear. Definitely ‘throw your fist in the air and kick a bin’ music.  

Canterbury – Thank You

The lovely lads in Canterbury are probably the most generous of all. They made their entire debut album available for free online. Every song on the record is brilliantly catchy and the band have achieved huge success from it. Support slots with the likes of You Me At Six have proved that.