Funeral For A Friend [Review] – Newcastle 02 Academy – 25/10/2011
With lots of speculation about the release of the band’s fifth album “Welcome Home Armageddon” the crowd of old, loyal and new, teen fans at the Newcastle O2 Academy awaited with baited breath as Funeral For A Friend graced the stage. The fans who have been with them for the last ten years pray this is a comeback and a return to the form of the earlier prestigious earlier albums “Casually dressed & deep in conversation” and “Hours”.
The atmosphere is of huge expectation and some cynicism towards the newer material however they proved themselves worthy of another chance to win an addition to our playlists as new songs such as “Sixteen” and “Damned if you do, Dead if you Don’t” receive an enthusiastic reception. With a sense of nostalgia to the set list with the old classics “Juneau”, “Escape artists never die” and “History” you found yourself deafened to the roar of lyrics emerging from the most energetic of crowds.
The loss of two of the bands members in the last two years had no impact on performance as the newest member Richard Boucher (Bass) looked and sounded as if he had always been there, joining in with the banter of frontman Matt Davies-Kreye who had been asked not to “condone any aggressive dancing” but who proceeded to rile the crowd up, keep the energy going and initiate mosh pits with a circular gesture of his hand. The cheeky Welshman kept the crowd entertained between songs however experienced sound difficulties, almost deafening guitarist Kris Coombes which was disappointing as the gig came to a slight standstill as this was dealt with.
The support from The Bunny The Bear and The Amity Affliction began with good yet slightly dull performances from both bands as they tried to no end result in making the crowd show any enthusiasm, it seemed the die-hard Funeral For A Friend fans weren’t really all that interested until Escape the Fate strode onto stage with an incredible stage presence and an impressive sound.
The crowd was of a mix of ages and knowledge of new/old songs yet there was a good mix of both and as the set came to a close with an impressive encore we were united in feeling an overwhelming sense that Funeral For A Friend are indeed back to their best.
Review by Codie Bennett
Photos by James Clarke
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