FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND // O2 ACADEMY, GLASGOW
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF ‘CASUALLY DRESSED’ AT GLASGOW’S O2 ACADEMY
★★★★★ (5/5)
Opening proceedings tonight we have local rockers Dead Pony. Having recently played their own show at Glasgow's St Luke's, they are here tonight as the hand picked support for Funeral For A Friend.
Their set goes down very well with the ever filling Academy, with highlights coming in their cover of Nelly Furtado's "Maneater" and set closer "23, Never Me".
With their debut album out next year, Dead Pony are ones to keep an eye on!
Up next we have American rockers Dashboard Confessional. As soon as they take to the stage we get a call and response "woah" from frontman Chris Carrabba before they launch in to "Don't Wait".
Chris announces to the crowd because they haven't been here in a long time, they are going to play some of their older songs. We then get a brilliant rendition of "The Good Fight" from their 2001 album "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most".
We're told guitarist Armon Jay gets to pick a song each night, and tonight is his 514th show with the band, he chooses to play "Saints and Sailors". We are then told this is the same one he has picked every show!
"Screaming Infidelities" gets a huge crowd reaction, with the venue taking over vocals for the end section of the song.
The set is closed off with "Stolen", "Vindicated" and "Hands Down" all of which send the crowd in to a frenzy.
It's now time for our headliners, Welsh legends Funeral For A Friend.
Playing their debut album "Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation" in full, as soon as the opening notes of "Rookie Of The Year" kick in the whole place goes insane.
The venue is in full voice for "Juneau" before frontman Matthew Davies-Kreye says
"If you know the words, sing them, dance, or as you are the same age group as we are we understand if you just want to nod heads" then the band launches in to "Bend Your Arms To Look Like Wings"
"Storytelling" is followed by the usual Glasgow chant of "here we fucking go" - much to the bands delight.
"Red Is The New Black" has the full crowd singing the intro before we then get a beautiful rendition of "Your Revolution Is A Joke" in which we have Barry McKenna from Glasgow's own Twin Atlantic out to play Cello.
A set closer of "Novella" rounds off the album part of the set, before the band are back out for an encore of more of the hits.
We get "This Year's Most Open Heartbreak" from the band's 2003 EP "Four Ways To Scream Your Name", along with "Streetcar", "Into Oblivion (Reunion)", "Roses For The Dead (dedicated to everyone who we have all lost over the years) and a brilliant closer of "History" which sees the crowd singing the full song back.
With no immediate plans to do any more shows outside of this run, those who were here tonight will savour this gig for a long time to come. A night of pure nostalgia and singalongs, who could ask for more!