Funeral For A Friend - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, 8/2/2013

  by Dave Goodwin

published: 23 / 2 / 2013

intro

Dave Goodwin finds Welsh hardcore band Funeral for a Friend to be on thunderous form at a gig in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham

It was another cold night out on the streets of Nottingham. It was a cheery night though as it was Nottingham's light spectacular where all the buildings have lights rigged up and lasers and images projected on to them. Cool stuff! Inside the Rescue Rooms, however, it was a different story. It was baking. The room was already three quarters full as I fought my way to the photographer’s pit. There were four bands on tonight of which I had already missed the first two. I had just got my camera set up when the third band graced the stage to rapturous applause and shouting from the crowd. Such Gold hail from Rochester in New York, and, shockingly loud, were well received by a bunch at the front of the crowd, who caused wonderful mayhem for all concerned around them. A tidy yet explosive set, which included 'Two Year Plan', 'Gutrot' and 'Sycamore', came to an end with them declaring that it was time for Funeral for a Friend. After Such Gold’s gear had been cleared, the stage was left almost bare. It left more room for the energy that was about to be lathered on the expectant faces behind me. The room erupted like someone had dropped an A bomb into a swimming pool! Enter stage right, Funeral for a Friend, amid raucous scenes from in front of them. The venue was now bulging at the seams, throwing a curveball straight into the front row and causing mad jumping and hollering to the first track which was funnily enough entitled 'Front Row Seats to the End of the World'. It was now near melting point, and I had already lost six pints of sweat by the end of the first three tracks and the time in which photographers are allowed in the pit was over, after which I made my way to the balcony to get myself some more photos. Boy, this lot are popular. Looking down from the balcony, I could see that the downstairs was rammed from wall to wall with Funeral for a Friend fans, all sweaty and beered up on Red Stripe or something similar. The energy being created by the Bridgend boys' set on stage was being reproduced by the fans in front of them. One lass got her mates to surf her head to the stars for around four or five rows where she came to an abrupt halt, after being dropped on her shoulders to the floor when the rows ran out into a mêlée of bumping and pushing youths. Looking down horrified, my mood, however, changed when she reappeared and jumped onto the 'Dancers' and continued her ride to the front, getting applause and congratulations from lead singer Matt Davies-Kreye when the security lads righted her up at the other end. It was amazing to think she did this all in about seven seconds flat! Marvellous! Working the heaving crowd through a set of old and new songs, Funeral for a Friend were tight and noisy and, with the songs they played from their new album ‘Conduit’, have gone back to the more hardcore rantings of an earlier period with guitar thrashing to an extreme nearly outdoing the excellent Pat Lundy's drum beatings. This was good stuff for a Friday night. They didn't seem to care about the early 10 o'clock curfew either. Obviously they had all got themselves bladdered earlier. Set List: Front Row Seats to the End of the World This Year's Most Open Heartbreak This Side of Brightness Old Hymns Bullet Theory Sixteen Broken Foundation Streetcar Into Oblivion (Reunion) High Castles Roses for the Dead Owls (Are Watching) Spinning Over the Island History Juneau Escape Artists Never Die

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