Q&A: Funeral For A Friend

Is there any significance to the new album's title, Conduit? What is it that you are channeling?

The idea behind the title is more of a love letter to the scene we come from and it's ability to break down walls and bring people together. It's about sharing  emotions, ideas and energy. 

Conduit toys with some pretty gnarly and gritty metalcore riffs alongside your usual anthemic post-hardcore. What led you to this place musically?

I guess our love for bands like At the Gates, The Haunted etc is pretty evident throughout most of our stuff but we did decide to just immerse ourselves in the music and attitudes that drove us to want to be in a band in the first place. I think the record really reflects out hardcore background better than any of our other records.

This is the third album you've recorded with Romesh Dodangoda. What keeps you going back to him?

He's easy going and just works well with us. He's open to ideas and trying new things. He gets where we come from as a band and that openness really works well with what we want to get out of the recording experience.

Your first record, Casually Dressed & Deep In Conversation, came out back in 2003 as one of the most visible debut records in what would become an explosion of post-hardcore music throughout the decade. Reflecting on that 10 years on, has the scene and the music changed, and how?

Well the Internet has become a massive part of everyday musical digestion. The way we treat music has changed dramatically. A lot of bands that call themselves post hardcore these days are alien to me, I don't get what they stand for, if anything, and there seems to be more focus on image rather than the music. It baffles me a but there are bands out there that we see doing great things to push the boundaries of the genre, which makes me hopeful for what's coming through.

The album is considered a classic of the genre today. For you, it was Funeral For A Friend's first record. How do you look back on it?

I'm humbled by how people treat it, I don't think I could ever think of it in the same way as our fans as I was too involved in it. But it did great things for us and the songs are still great to play

What keeps you pumped up about the band and your music 10 years in?

Friendship, a desire to still share our thoughts and emotions with people. This band is a great release for that.

You guys have experienced a few lineup changes over the past couple of years, recently the loss of Ryan. How has this impacted on your new music and your workings a band?

In a way it's probably brought us closer, we all seem to be very driven to enjoy what we're doing now more than ever so in a way it's come out super positive.

Like in the UK, the Australian hardcore scene is a little bit underground.  Are there any Australian bands that impress you guys?

We're all massive fans of 50 Lions, Amity Affliction, Miles Away, Phantoms, Anchors, Break Even, Hopeless. There are way too many rad bands coming out of Australia at the moment!

Having clocked up more than a decade since the band started, what can we expect from Funeral For A Friend in the future?

More touring and more music, that's as complicated as it will ever be for us! 

Funeral For A Friend will be playing the following dates:

Wednesday 8 May - The Rev, Brisbane Tickets
Thursday 9 May - Surfers Paradise Beer Garden, Gold Coast Tickets
Friday 10 May - The Cambridge, Newcastle Tickets
Saturday 11 May - Manning Bar, Sydney Tickets
Sunday 12 May - The Basement, Canberra Tickets
Tuesday 14 May - The Corner Hotel, Melbourne Tickets
Wednesday 15 May - Pier Live, Frankston Tickets
Thursday 16 May - Fowlers Live, Adelaide Tickets (all ages)
Friday 17 May - Amplifier Bar, Perth Tickets
Saturday 18 May - Prince Of Wales, Bunbury Tickets

Conduit is out now.