Wide Awake in Wales

You might not be able to tell it from looking at them, but the isolated valleys of South Wales are fast becoming the breeding ground for some of rock’s most exciting new directions. Take Funeral For A Friend – the locality’s latest heroes – whose music smacks of individuality and the anti-scene, a result achieved by placing metal riffs, hardcore punk rhythms and vocal harmonies alongside one another in the guise of a progressive rock song.

“It’s been excellent – the response has been fucking insane, to be perfectly honest,” whispers bassist Gareth Davies, as if afraid to jinx it. “Nothing in our wildest dreams could have predicted how everything has been in the last 12 months. A year and a half ago I was selling mobile phones for Orange in Cardiff and now I spend my time sleeping on a bus and playing music for a career. It’s great.”
The speed with which the band ascended from village hall status to the arena stage (having supported Iron Maiden’s final outing) is proof of the immediacy of their appeal. A sold out headlining UK & Ireland tour, 60,000 album sales in the first month, fawning critical acclaim and two top 20 singles are reason enough for the dozen mini-skirted/leather-jacketed teenagers peering through the windows of the TMBC to brave the winter chill – however, this is an aspect of success that the band are still uncomfortable with.
“It can be a bit of a headfuck,” says Gareth, turning round to acknowledge their presence. “But we’re so fuckin’ busy all the time that we don’t get a chance to sit down and realise that all this has happened. And I’m quite glad of that, because I think I’d be fucking petrified if I did. If I thought about it too much, I’d be in a padded room right now with a straight jacket on!”

Funeral For A Friend play the Ambassador, Dublin on April 30