Funeral For A Friend

Funeral For A Friend

Funeral For A Friend are one of the most successful bands to come out of Wales in the past few years and with a new album and new line-up there was no better time to hit the road and show off their sexy new look. I caught up with the delicious Matt Davies-Kreye to ask all those questions you want answering (except if he would marry me - someone already beat me to that.) and got the low-down on the new album, what it’s like having Gavin on stage with them and whether he prefers women or sheep…

Hey Matt, how are you enjoying Preston?
We haven’t really had a chance to explore yet so we’ve only really seen the venue. I turned up and I was shocked to find out that it had a University.
That’s where I went to university so you better love it! How are you anyway?
We’re all good, in good spirits… Kicking ass - taking names, you know!
What’s it like being back on the road?

Right now it’s really refreshing and exciting playing the new stuff to all the audiences and just being able to get out and play because we’ve spent quite a bit of the year recording so it’s great to be out there turning the volume up and cranking out the tunes.

How are you getting along with all the other bands on the tour?

Really well. We have a good relationship with them all as we’ve known the In Case Of Fire guys for a while now as we toured with them a couple of months ago, Cancer Bats we’ve known for a while and Attack! Attack! Are from our neck of the woods so we’re really familiar with those guys. We have a lot of history with all of the guys so it’s like friends on tour!

Your latest album Memory And Humanity has just been released; to anyone who hasn’t heard it yet, how would you describe it?

Anthemic rock rollercoaster! It has its peaks and troughs as it goes from the very loud to the very quiet to the very loud again!

Do you have a favourite track off the record?

It’s hard for me to say because it’s the first album that we’ve done that I like every single song. It usually changes on a daily basis with the previous records but I’m really buzzed about every song on the record. I think if I had to pick a favourite it would have to be Maybe I am? because it seems to be quite a complete idea of everything we’re all about in one song.

What is the inspiration behind the title of the album?

Memory And Humanity is basically a reference to the path of life. Here’s me getting philosophical… but it’s basically about the road that people travel down and the history they get that define who they are as people and the roads that they travel on from this point on. It’s almost like the journey of life.

You addressed a lot of political and social issues within the album; do you think it’s a good way to get kids to take notice of what’s happening in the world around them?

Yes, I think that music has that ability to sink itself deep into the subconscious of a lot of people and I think that people can relate to it a lot more than when it’s preached to you. When it’s just an opinion or someone’s point of view it’s easier to grasp and take in on your own time.

We’re not a band who preach on stage and say what you should and shouldn’t do; it’s all about making those choices on your own but I think that for me, music has been an influence in my education and what the world had to offer whether it be social or political idea and it’s been important for me to develop as a writer, a musician and a person.

As we all know, when you finished the record, Gareth told you he wanted to leave in order to focus on his family life; did you ever think about not carrying on?

No. it was very bizarre because none of us expected him to turn around to say that, but splitting was never an option for us and I think he would have hated it if we would have come to that decision after he told us. I think in about an hour after he told us we had an idea of somebody of we wanted to get in.

We couldn’t be pissed off at him because he left for a reason that we couldn’t argue with, we all have families so we can totally relate to where he was coming from. He genuinely felt that he would be happier without the band so who are we to stand in the way of someone’s happiness.

Is it weird to turn around and having Gavin standing there?

Everyone once in a while maybe a little bit because he’s a lot taller and a lot wider so it is slightly odd but he’s such a unique character so he fits in really well with the idea of the band and who we are right now. Attitude-wise and musically he fits in really well and he couldn’t have come along at a better time.

So when you started out did you ever think you would make it as big as you have done?

Never. I think when we started we all had jobs and we were all content to have the band as the thing we did at the weekends but then our demo got so big that it took us aback and we didn’t really understand what was going on and we had absolutely no idea that it would take us to where we are now and I think that if it wasn’t for the support of the people and our families and friends I don’t know if we would have been able to survive it!

What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t in a band?

I’d still be doing something musically I imagine; music is such a big part of me that I could never not do anything with it but I would probably still be running my own record shop that I had before I left to join the rock and roll lifestyle!

So is the rock and roll lifestyle everything you imagined when you were younger…. Not that you’re old now!

Well, I don’t know about that; I just celebrated my 29th birthday so I’m getting into the old jaded thirties now! It definitely isn’t though and I don’t think anything can prepare you for what it’s actually like. It’s not all fun and games and is a lot of hard work which we realised quite early on that it involves a lot of sacrifices.

At the start of the career you can’t have a personal life and relationships are usually quite crap because it’s very difficult to maintain anything that resembles a relationship but as we developed and got older and the band found it’s feet it’s becomes a lot easier to deal with the touring aspect, the recording aspect as well as the family life.

What has been the best thing to happen to you as a result of being in Funeral?

Probably being able to do music for a living to be honest. Being able to make music and record and have people come to your shows and enjoy what you do and there is nothing that can compare to that really; it’s just such a big buzz when you do something that you love on a daily basis and have people who appreciate it too…it’s cool. Probably one of the best things in the world!

What’s left on your list of ‘things to do’?

To be honest all I want to do is continue challenging myself as a writer and making music on our own terms and having people who appreciate us for that. Being able to tour and record and continue making music that people respect and admire and want to come out and share with us.

You’ve obviously set a really high standard of music within the industry and loads of kids look up to you, but who do you look up to?

Probably artists who are no longer ‘cool’! It differs from day-to-day; I look up to the people around me; my wife, my parents and they way they brought me up. I wonder if I can be as good as them in my life and it’s those kinds of things that are important. As much as music is incredible prominent, there are other things that come into our lives which are equally as important so I think it’s all abut being a good person I guess.

Musicians that have stood the test of time are inspirational to me; it’s hard to say because I like so many bands, writers and movie makers that have influenced me but I think my friends who do things on their own terms without compromising who they are - those people are the people I look up to.

What a lovely answer! Now ever band we interview, we ask them to come up with a question for th enext interviewee and the guys in Fightstar want to know if you prefer women or sheep.

I prefer sheep women! Ha-ha. Women who ride sheep!

Very diplomatic… well done! So can you come up with your tour buddies In Case Of Fire?

Ask Colin what the worst thing he’s ever done to make his brother Stephen cry!

This could drag up a load of bitter memories but I’ll give it a go… see you tonight anyway lovely!

FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison

Check out how we got on with their tour buddies; Cancer Bats

In Case Of Fire

Attack! Attack!

Check out my review of Memory and Humanity here

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