Gig Review – Funeral For A Friend at The Fleece, Bristol (29-01-13)

Funeral For A Friend’s appearance at Bristol venue The Fleece came just one day after the release of their brand new album, ‘Conduit’, and the air of anticipation to see the Welsh five piece was bubbling away as 3 very solid support bands got the young crowd warmed up.

I, Divide are enthusiastic and tight, their sub-drop soaked heavy rock providing a wonderful opening to the night. Major League are an entirely different kettle of fish, the US band bring sun-soaked punk rock with hooks aplenty and a sound that is everything as much Green Day and Blink 182, and the group seem fine with that. However, Such Gold seem completely devoid of hooks and their hardcore/punk doesn’t hit the mark, the crowd not warming to them and they soon realise this. They want FFAF and they aren’t afraid to show it.

Funeral For A Friend arrive on the stage to uproar, the band appearing modest and even perhaps underwhelmed by their reception. For a group who have sold out Bristol's O2 Academy in recent years, the somewhat more quaint surroundings of The Fleece may feel unfamiliar to a band that have fallen slightly from atop the perch they used to rest upon at the heights of debut album 'Casually Dressed & Deep In Conversation' and follow-up 'Hours' from 2003 and 2005 respectively. 

The set they tear through is a little disjointed and unsatisfying, perhaps because some particularly effective FFAF tracks include the screamed vocals of now departed drummer Ryan Richards, so unfortunately these songs seem to have no place (although replacement drummer Pat Lundy does a cracking job behind the kit). This leaves Matt Davies isolated on vocal duty, and although his melodies have always done enough to give the band a distinct and memorable sound, tonight it just doesn't feel enough. Despite this, the crowd lap up every single track that's presented, from the definitive classics such as 'She Drove Me To Daytime TV' and 'Red Is The New Black' to highlights from brand new album 'Conduit' (the sixth full length offering from FFAF) like 'The Distance' and 'Best Friends & Hospital Beds'. Dotted amongst the classics are a few less played tracks, such as ‘Recovery’ and ‘Alvarez’, but nothing really whips the crowd into the frenzy that is threatening to happen throughout the set. 

The fans sing along passionately but the pit never really gets going, and there’s not a single crowd surfer in sight, making it obvious that the punters tonight are feeling exactly the same as the band appear to be – disappointed. That’s not to take anything away from the band, they clearly are great at what they do and it’s admirable to see them continuing to perform to the masses so many years into a solid career. However, some tracks from the wonderful ‘Tales Don’t Tell Themselves’ or ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’ would have given some dynamic to a performance that didn’t quite hit the mark. Set closer ‘History’ is nostalgic and briefly held magic in the air but the lack of an encore (or even a call for one) left a slight bitter taste.