Review – Funeral For A Friend – Manchester Academy 2 – Thursday 24th March

Completely in love with their latest album “Welcome Home Armageddon” which shows Funeral For A Friend clearly back to their best, the anticipation was high to see how their live set fared in the wake of the inclusion of this new (and utterly essential) new material, and a much documented shuffle round in the line-up, since the departure of original guitarist Darren Smith last summer.

Having been upgraded into the Academy 2, from the much more intimate Academy 3 venue, both me and one of my best buds were slightly disappointed, as the prospect of seeing them in one of our favourite venues ever was the main reason for getting a ticket to the Manchester show in the first place (I am already going to the Stoke show next week, and also plan to go the Crewe show at the end of May). However, the Academy 2 is still somewhat an intimate venue for FFAF, and to see them here still made it (I think) the smallest FFAF show I have ever been to, until next weeks Sugarmill show surpasses that once more.

And what a performance it was.

First up though were Tiger Please, who we missed most of, by enjoying a few cheeky brewskis at The Oxford. They seemed to go down well, considering the applause at the tail end of their set, which we got to the venue in time for. Rise to Remain followed, once more demonstrating how they are now a true force to be reckoned with, and the constant touring has done wonders for them, as they seem to be getting better and better, every time I see them. Ok at Download 2010; brilliant on the Korn tour in October last year; and now, ready to unleash a debut album which will certainly be worth picking up when it drops, they are now a well honed, lean and mean British metal (core?) machine. These boys could go far, and have come on in leaps and bounds, going down a storm tonight.

However, the crowd are clearly here to see one band alone tonight, and that is FFAF.

Taking to the stage like returning heroes, the response their introduction receives is deafening, as they take their place in front of an old school backdrop for this more intimate show. What follows is simply amazing . . .

FFAF roll back the years in a show that has a real dangerous and exciting feel to it. It feels as though anything can happen, and at times, it often does. FFAF are on top form throughout, and the introduction of Richard Boucher on bass, and the switch to guitar by Gavin (who had previously been playing bass) has led to a real sense of excitement in the camp, and that translates onto the live stage. They look re-envigorated, and ready to take on the world once more, sounding simply massive.

Opening with a ravenous Roses for the Dead, straight into Rookie of the Year, FFAF are clearly hear tonight to re-establish themselves as one of the best bands on the circuit, and even though that was never in doubt for a second, at any point in their history (excuse the pun), they somehow do that. They are on the edge tonight, and lie somewhere between brilliance and breathtaking, often straddling both. Choice cuts from the latest record drop like instant classics, sounding fresh, exciting, and utterly essential. Sixteen, Serpents In Solitude, Damned If You Do Dead If You Don’t and Front Row Seats To The End Of The World, Aftertaste and Spinning Over The Island, all slot in as though they are old favourites, rather than new material, getting a great reaction from the fanbase.

Sandwich that between some of the highlights across their back catalogue, and this is a monumental showing from FFAF. Juneau, Red Is The New Black, The End Of Nothing, Into Oblivion (Reunion), and Escape Artists Never Die, are all there, along with more, and the crowd love every second of it, singing every word back at Matt Davies-Kreye as though their lives depend on it. What is also startling is the number of career defining highlights that don’t make the cut for the setlist this time around, demonstrating the sheer quality of their back catalogue, and brilliance of their new material, for the crowd not to be disappointed by the lack of Streetcar, She Drove Me To Daytime Television, The Art Of American Football, This Years Most Open Heartbreak, All The Rage, et al.

For a big band in a smallish venue, this was as perfect as it gets for a die-hard, with the surroundings only adding to the spectacle. Matt Davies-Kreye baits the crowd throughout, with his juvenile banter at its absolute best, and he still commands the crowd like the master of ceremonies he is. Evoking memories of the early days, FFAF channel that spirit, and sound consistently like they are a new band ready to take on the world, rather than a band that have already done that time and time again, and won. FFAF are now the elder-statesmen of the scene, and they sure look and sound ready to take over the world once more, the new boys injecting some fire, clearly, in to the eyes of the remaining members. It is dangerous, it is furious, and it is damn sure exciting.

FFAF already defined a generation with “Casually Dressed . . .” and everything else that followed. With Welcome Home Armageddon, they now look ready to define yet another.

The lyrics to “History” (sung at incredible volume by the fans tonight) would suggest “your history is mine” – tonight though, as much as their history is ours, their future is in their own hands, and they are ready to take it to the next level once again.

Phenomenal.

Setlist: Roses For The Dead/Rookie Of The Year/Sixteen/Juneau/Aftertaste/The End Of Nothing/Serpents In Solitude/Red Is The New Black/Damned If You Do, Dead If You Don’t/Monsters/History/Spinning Over The Island/Into Oblivion (Reunion)/Front Row Seats To The End Of The World/Escape Artists Never Die