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CMU Playlists
Playlist: Funeral For A Friend
By CMU Editorial | Published on Friday 11 March 2011
Formed in 2001, Funeral For A Friend made a firm impression on the underground rock scene with their debut EP ‘Between Order And Model’ the following year, but it was with their debut album, ‘Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation’, that they really made waves, it reaching number twelve in the album chart and spawning three top twenty singles.
Signing to Warner/Atlantic for the release of their second album, 2005’s ‘Hours’, the band have continued to enjoy chart success with each of their long players, with 2007’s ‘Tales Don’t Tell Themselves’ reaching number three, and fourth record ‘Memory And Humanity’ peaking at seventeen.
Last year, guitarist Darran Smith left the band, following two farewell shows at which they performed ‘Casually Dressed…’ in its entirety. He was replaced by the band’s bassist, Gavin Burrough, who was in turn replaced by Hondo Maclean’s Richard Boucher.
On 14 Mar, the band release their fifth album, ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’ and will be touring throughout the rest of March and into April. Ahead of all of that, we asked drummer Ryan Richards to put together a Powers Of Ten playlist for us. And he came up with a great concept to tie his ten songs together.
Ryan explains: “When we first started out in Funeral For A Friend, there were a lot of great bands in Wales but it was a lot harder at that time to get heard – before MySpace, Facebook, Spotify and iTunes were around. We’ve got just as many new, exciting Welsh bands coming through at the moment – and thankfully the dawn of the internet means that these bands are getting heard a lot more now which is encouraging to young artists and drives their creativity. Below are a few of my favourite up-and-comers from the homeland”.
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND’S TEN
Click here to listen to Ryan’s playlist in Spotify, and then read on to find out more about his selections.
01 Tiger Please – Summer In The House Of Confessions
We’ve got a lot of great young up and coming Welsh bands coming through at the moment, and Tiger Please are right up there with the best of them. It’s great to hear teenagers writing something so mature and classic sounding, and we’re looking forward to taking the guys out on our March/April UK tour.
02 Caesars Rome – Awake And Armed
Sadly, Caesars Rome announced their disbandment recently – which is a shame as not enough people got to hear their brilliant debut album, ‘The Company We Keep’. Huge songs, huge sound, hugely missed. They’ve just started a new band called Lion And The Wolf’, so watch out for them.
03 Chase The Sunset – Nights Like These
On the heavier side of things, I’m really loving what Chase The Sunset are doing at the moment. One of the things we, in Funeral For A Friend, have always tried to do is find the right mix between heaviness and melody – and these guys definitely have that balance nailed.
04 Straight Lines – Set Me On Fire And Feed Me To The Wolves
Straight Lines’ album ‘Persistence In This Game’ was probably the best underground pop-rock release of 2010 in my opinion, and I know a lot of people agree. Great record, great live band and I’m really excited to hear where these guys go with their next record. Listening to this track gives you a great idea of how much fun the band’s live shows are.
05 Cuba Cuba – Somewhere
A really unique young band that don’t sound like anyone else, in particular, which is always a great trait for a band to have. This track comes from their ‘Tales From The Cabin’ EP and, again, these guys’ debut album will be coming out later this year. It’s going to be a great year for albums from new Welsh bands, that’s for sure.
06 Attack! Attack! UK – Blood On My Hands
These guys have been friends for a long time and shared many a stage across the globe with us. This is my favourite track by them, and their new single. I think this could be the track that crosses them over into the mainstream. I hope it is. Great band who deserve the recognition their new album is getting them.
07 Boys With X-Ray Eyes – The Kid Stays In The Picture
Another Welsh band releasing a new album this year! This a pretty old track with the old line-up, but still a good appetite-whetter for the new record. It’s great to see so many different styles coming out of Wales, and these guys have the metal rock n roll element down to a fine art.
08 Friends Electric – Golden Blood
On the electro-pop side of things, we’ve also got some great young bands in Wales, and Friends Electric are among the best of them. Super chill and super hooky, that’s pretty much everything I look for in my electro-pop.
09 The Guns – Treacle And Pie
The Guns have been doing their thing on the underground scene for a while now and put on a great live show. Their new record is their best yet and has some huge rock n roll tunes on there. Check em out when they roll through your town.
10 Dub War – Enemy Maker
Not a new band, but one that was a huge influence for a lot of young Welsh bands when Funeral For A Friend were starting out. You’ll recognise the voice as Benji Webbe from Skindred, and if you’re a Skindred fan who’s not checked out Dub War then you’re missing out big time. Even if you’re not a Skindred fan, you need to check this track, this album, and this band out.
