Funeral For A Friend [Live]

Aberdeen witnesses epic rock show thanks to Welsh veterans.


It is probably worth starting this review off by stating that The Warehouse is not a new venue for those who are slightly confused. It’s simply HMV, the new owners of Moshulu, changing the name of the venue to mark a new era for one of the cities main music attractions. This new era has been kicked off in stellar fashion, with a list of big name rock bands coming up north to entertain the masses, and one of these bands are Welsh favourites Funeral For A Friend.

Before said Welsh band take to the stage, it’s up to Spy Catcher to entertain this room, which is getting busier by the minute. Featuring Stuart Gili-Ross of Gallows fame (which isn’t here tonight) and Steve Sears from Cry For Silence, this band have the individual experience that should help bolster the bands performance. It does exactly that, with the frontman Steve being note perfect for the majority of the set, and the rest of the band putting in a very neat shift. This is all good if you have the songs, but unfortunately that’s where this band falters. There isn’t one song throughout the whole set that actually grabs your attention, and this is why those at the bar stay there for the entire set. Wrapping this set up in a nutshell, Spy Catcher have the goods, but aren’t quite ready to show them off quite yet. 2.5/5

Next up on the bill is local heroes The Xcerts which for some silly, unexplainable reason, this reviewer hasn’t seen live yet. The band are used to playing to the Aberdeen crowd and this comes across really well when they belt out songs old and new. Similar to the band who played before them, despite having a tight set, the songs just don’t shine through. I hear from a friend that this isn’t a very good setlist and some really good tracks were left out, so I can only hope next time I see these lads, they show me the gold and not merely the bronze. 3/5

It’s been a very long time since Funeral For A Friend graced a stage in this city, and this is precisely why the band have sold out a venue that as far as my knowledge goes, doesn’t sell out that often. The setlist is picked by fans (excluding the four new tracks from their new greatest hits CD) from around the country and this makes for a truly memorable gig as the band tear into the opening song ‘Streetcar’. There are flailing bodies already and the choice of song to open the set with is a genius one as you can taste the sense of excitement and anticipation for the rest of the show. A lot of the show consists of songs from the bands debut album ‘Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation’ with ‘Bend Your Arms To Look Like Wings’, ‘Juneau’ and ‘She Drove Me To Daytime Television’ going down particularly well with the crowd. It’s easy to talk about the many great songs Funeral have to play to this crowd, but this isn’t even half of what makes them such a fantastic band. The quartet are completely focussed through every song and the appreciation from the fans visibly carries Matt Davies through the set (since he is suffering from illness). In between songs the man is full of banter, interacting with the audience and creating a great atmosphere before launching into another song.

By the time Funeral For A Friend finish up an encore with an epic performance of ‘Into Oblivion’, every face in the room is smiling, and you can’t help but feel you will never witness a gig like this for a very long time. Funeral For A Friend may not play here for another good few years, but this night will not be long forgotten anytime soon. 5/5