Tuesday 12 April 2011

LIVE REVIEW: FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND

Funeral For A Friend
Liverpool O2 Academy 2
27/3/11

Welsh heroes Funeral For A Friend have all but sold out the smaller of Liverpool’s Academy venues, and the vast majority of the crowd are early enough to catch tonight’s openers, Tiger Please. Playing well, Tiger Please are well received and seem relatively popular with the throng of people watching.

Up next are Rise To Remain. The crowd seem interested, but their performance (to this reviewer at least) is a little uninspired. Technically the band are strong, but they fail to capture the imagination in a lasting way.

By the time Funeral For A Friend take to the stage the Academy is almost overflowing. Greeting the riotous crowd with classics ‘Roses For The Dead’ and ‘Rookie Of The Year’, it instantly becomes clear that the fans remain obsessed with Funeral’s past work. Tracks from the new album are incredibly strong live, but the crowd react moderately in comparison to the reception which ‘Juneau’ receives.

There are some who sing enthusiastically to ‘Serpents In Solitude’ and ‘Front Row Seats’, but they are clearly in the minority tonight. This in no way detracts from the band’s performance. The boyos are energetic and lively, encouraging crowd interaction and bouncing around like 15 year olds.

The evening ends with a mass singalong to ‘Escape Artists Never Die’, and it’s difficult to find fault with the headliners’ performance. If anything, all we can ask is that people give the new album more of a chance. It’s really quite good. And with live shows as enjoyable as tonight, it’s fair to assume that Funeral For A Friend are going to remain a feature of the UK scene for a long time to come.

Amanda

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