Unofficial leaders of the British rock scene, Funeral For A Friend formed in 2002 in Bridgend. The band recorded a four track demo at the nearby Mighty Atom Studios later that year, which enthused the studio's owners enough for them to offer the band a two album deal.
In 2005, the band signed to Atlantic, where they released their second and third albums, 'Hours' and 'Tales Don't Tell Themselves'. They release their fourth album, 'Memory & Humanity' via their own label, Join Us, on 13 Oct. Before that, on 29 Sep, they will be releasing the second single from it, 'Kicking & Screaming'.
We spoke to drummer Ryan Richards.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
The first instrument I ever got was a Casio keyboard/guitar hybrid. The demo song was 'Last Christmas' by Wham! My first challenge as a musician was to learn that tune.
Q2 What inspired your latest single?
Probably just growing up in general. I think that inspires a lot of the stuff we write.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
Usually riff, arrange, fine tune and vocal. But it changes from song to song.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
It depends on the day of the week really. Could be anything from Queen to Boysetsfire to Megadeth. And a bit of Sinatra at times.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Enjoy!
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest single, and for the future?
To have lunchboxes made bearing our image, and maybe one day our very own pinball machine.