Backstage at Warped 2005 it's hard to tell who's who. Nearly everybody is wearing a black t-shirt and is sporting tattoos and piercings. Dozens of people walk past on their way to the catering tent for lunch, talking with each other or chatting on cell phones. They might be stagehands, road crew or band members, it's impossible to tell. That's the cool thing about Warped. Everybody is equal. All the bands on the main stages get 30 minutes to play each day, and the schedule is rotated so you might play right away at noon or close things out at 8pm.
One of the bands playing Warped this year is Funeral For A Friend. The Welsh melodic hardcore band recently released their second album, Hours. In their native UK the band is huge, already garnering three Top 20 singles and a gold album for the debut Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation. The notoriously fickle British press also took a liking to them, plastering Funeral For A Friend on every music magazine cover imaginable.
So you could imagine a young group with a taste of success could have a bit of an attitude. But as the five members walked into the press room at Warped it was the complete opposite. They laughed and joked and were remarkably polite. In a group interview drummer Ryan Richards was asked which band he's enjoyed listening to on the Warped Tour. "I've really enjoyed Bedouin Soundclash on this tour," he said. "It's very summer type music and it's been good watching them. They've been the soundtrack to my summer.
I was lucky enough to grab lead singer Matt Davies for a quick one on one, and he was gracious, modest, and completely passionate about his music. He was also grateful for the quick success in the UK, although all the media attention was a bit intense. How did he deal with it? "It got a bit overwhelming," he says. "I relied on friends and family to keep me grounded." Davies is more comfortable with the way the band is trying to break through the US market, playing tons of live shows and conquering the country one city at a time. Here in the states they started on independent label Ferret Records and are now on major label Atlantic.
Hours was recorded in Seattle with producer Terry Date, who has worked with groups like Soundgarden and Pantera. They recorded part of the album in the legendary Bad Animals studio and part in Pearl Jam's studio. Even though they were away from home for several months, Davies says the band really like Seattle and quickly became comfortable there. They were also impressed with producer Date, especially his unique approach to the recording process. "He was great," Davies says. "He had a more spiritual approach to making the album. You could do a take perfectly, but if your heart wasn't in it he could tell and he'd have you do it again." That passion really comes through on the album. Everything is stronger than on the first album, including the band themselves. According to Davies, they've all seen and been through a lot since the release of their debut album and have gained some musical and personal maturity in the process.
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