News

Funeral For A Friend Release 'Your History Is Mine: 2002-2009'

• 15th Sep 2009

Welsh rock legends Funeral For A Friend launch the next stage of their illustrious career with the ‘Wrench’ single on Sept 28 2009. With an infectious energy, driving heaviness and a chorus more contagious than the common cold, it’s a short, sharp reminder of just how fantastic this band are!

‘Wrench’ is one of four brand new tracks featured on the band’s forthcoming career retrospective ‘Your History Is Mine: 2002-2009’. This sixteen track long player covers the quintets output from the early days of the bands formation in South Wales right through to gold albums, multiple worldwide headline tours and appearances at every festival that matters. It will be released on Atlantic Records on Sept 28.

As well as the twelve smash hits from FFAF’s previous four albums featured, the release will include an EP’s worth of new material, notable for being the first involving Gavin Burrough (bass) fully in the writing and recording process. ‘It's made a huge difference having [Gav] come into the band as a fan, and almost like a spokesman for all the fans out there who've been wanting to hear elements of the band they fell in love with that maybe have been missing for a while,’ says drummer/vocalist Ryan Richards. ‘We've always said we never wanted to go backwards, but now we've been able to re-explore a lot of the old elements of what we did and make it sound brand new by having Gav's musical and vocal input in there. It's very exciting – for us and for the fans, especially the ones that have been there from the start.’

‘It's been hard,’ adds vocalist Matthew Davies, ‘whittling down the best of four albums and a bunch of EP's to come up with what we consider to be the best of our 'formative years'. We're still trying to rewrite the rock and roll music text book with everything we've done since then. It's been interesting to see just how many songs we've written that have affected both us and our audience over the last 7 and a half years and having them all in one place will be a good reflection of our music up to this point for newcomers and for old friends.’

A quick scan through the tracklisting for the record confirms that picking songs for inclusion has been no easy task. But moreso it also reaffirms the weighty contribution the band has made to the post-millennial British rock scene. Classic fan favourite tracks like ’10.45 Amsterdam Conversations’ and ‘Red Is The New Black’ sit comfortably both alongside the anthemic ‘Juneau’ and the awe-inspiring ‘Roses For The Dead’ as well as firm live favourites ‘Streetcar’ and ‘Into Oblivion’. It really is a ‘Greatest Hits’ in the true sense of the word.

'I like to think of the record as the end of one road and the start of another,’ continues Richards. ‘We wanted to document the history of the band up until now but at the same time usher in a New Age of Aural Awesomeness – or NAAA to the abbreviators out there who've come to know and love us as the FFAF.’

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND – YOUR HISTORY IS MINE: 2002-2009

10.45 Amsterdam Conversations
This Year’s Most Open Heartbreak
Juneau
She Drove Me To Daytime Television
Escape Artists Never Die
Red Is The New Black
Streetcar
Roses For The Dead
History
Into Oblivion (Reunion)
Walk Away
Kicking And Screaming
No Honour Among Thieves
Built To Last
Wrench
Captains Of Industry

The band have also announced a UK headline tour running through October to coincide with the release.

Mon 05 Oct PLYMOUTH Hippo
Tue 06 Oct PORTSMOUTH Pyramid
Thu 08 Oct EXETER Lemon Grove
Fri 09 Oct BRIGHTON Concorde 2
Sat 10 Oct MANCHESTER Academy
Mon 12 Oct PETERBOROUGH Cresset
Wed 14 Oct ,LONDON Koko
Thu 15 Oct HATFIELD University of Herts Forum
Fri 16 Oct OXFORD O2 Academy
Sun 18 Oct BRIDGEWATER Palace
Tue 20 Oct MIDDLESBROUGH Empire
Wed 21 Oct ,DUNDEE Fat Sams
Thu 22 Oct ABERDEEN Moshulu
Sat 24 Oct DERRY Nerve Centre
Sun 25 Oct DUBLIN Academy
Tue 27 Oct NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Wed 28 Oct CAMBRIDGE Junction
Thu 29 Oct NORWICH UEA