Flying The Main Stage Flag For UK Rock
Having been at the Kerrang Awards the previous night, you could have forgiven Funeral For A Friend for appearing a bit jaded, but they were far from it. The Welsh rockers turned in a powerful Main Stage performance in the Leeds sunshine, opening with the mighty 'Into Oblivion' from recent album 'Tales Don't Tell Themselves'.
The band have played few major UK dates since their return, instead spending much of July on the road on the Warped Tour in the States. By the time Leeds came around, they were very much in the groove, a slick, well-oiled heavy rock machine.
On the down side they left out to of their more pop moments in recent single 'Walk Away' and 'History', meaning they focused more on the heavier side of their material that meant the band's real variety didn't shine through as much as I'd have liked.
There were plenty of highlights from their back catalogue though. 'Juneau' appeared midway through and received a massive reaction from the fans down the front. 'Street Car' started to build the set to a triumphant climax, before 'Escape Artists Never Die' rounded it off perfectly.
This was a set that reached enough highs to be impressive, but I couldn't help but feel I wanted more. Funeral For A Friend are Main Stage regulars at Reading and Leeds, however I'd love to see them headline one of the smaller stages in order that they really take their festival sets to the next level.