Just ahead of their blazing performance at Kent's Hevy Fest we caught up with Funeral For A Friend guitarist Gav Burrough to talk about the post-hardcore titans' incendiary year so far, including the release of the brilliant and acclaimed 'Welcome Home Armageddon' and slew of unstoppable live performances as their re-shuffled and re-energised line-up, how the band are upon the eve of their ten year anniversary and the exciting batch of new things to come. Here's what Gav had to say:
R13: You're a very influential band, especially within British rock, with a very unique sound, how are you all after all this time?
GB: Stronger than ever really, obviously I only joined the band back in 2008 but yeah it's just as exciting from the other boys' point of view as back when it started, we're just really happy to be able to do this and to play to people who like our music.
R13:With 'Welcome Home Armageddon' there was a real return to roots, bringing back the heavier elements of the Funeral sound, how was the recording process?
GB: We had a real idea in our heads of what we wanted to achieve with the album, I think with the previous two records the band weren't really happy and wanted to try other things so we realised that the sound we suppressed was the heavier elements and we wanted to bring those back as we feel it's what we do strongest so that's what we did and I think we achieved it. The whole process was great, we all write individually so the bit that I really enjoy is when we all get together and manipulate everyone's ideas into one song, I think that's what being in a band is all about, it's not you but everyone else around you so it makes it a bit more special.
R13: How was recording with Romesh Dodangoda at Longwave Studios?
GB: Romesh is great, he's been a friend of all of us for years so working with someone who's so close-knit with you is a very pleasurable experience. We're actually heading back into the studio this week to record a brand new track with him, a little exclusive for you there.
R13: One of the aspects that makes the Funeral sound so unique is that people can relate to it in a particularly strong way, do you feel this is an integral part of the band?
GB: Yeah I think that's definitely what we're trying to achieve, Matt's [Davies,vocals] quite sheltered with his lyrics and I think it's great that they really resonate within people, it's the real ethos of the band.
R13: What can we expect from your set at Hevy?
GB: Heavy (laughs), we thought we'd do a heavy set with heavier songs, a mix of of old and new which will be absolutely banging I reckon (laughs).
R13: With the tenth anniversary of the band coming up, have you got any special plans?
GB: Not as of yet, the anniversary of the first inception of the band as opposed to first release is going to be around October time when we have a headline tour so I think there's to be a few anniversaries (laughs) but I think it's just going to be more touring and we've already got together and started writing material for our next album which we're probably going to record early next year.
R13: Could you tell us anything about the new material or is it firmly under wraps?
GB: Well we're not going to go pussy-ass like we did before (laughs), we're going to remain staunch and keep the heaviness and the aggression.
The band's set at Hevy was absolutely incredible, debatably the weekend's best, with an unbeatable mix of classic older songs like 'Juneau' and 'Escape Artists Never Die' to stunning recent cuts such as 'Front Row Seats To The End Of The World', the band playing with an equal mix of determined ferocity and irrepressible and infectious joy. A big thanks to Gav for a great chat and make sure to catch the band on their October headline tour with main support Escape The Fate. Stay tuned to Room Thirteen for news on the forthcoming material from the boys.