The band's debut full-length album Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation was released in October 2003. Various singles were lifted off this, including Bullet Theory, Juneau (Juno on previous EPs), She Drove Me To Daytime TV and Escape Artists Never Die. After a B-side to Escape Artists Never Die was released as a single, this was called You Want Romance? the video was sequal to Bullet Theory
A DVD named Spilling Blood In 8MM was released only a year after, documenting every music video, including the two from the EPs 10:45 Amsterdam Conversations and This Year's Most Open Heartbreak, live footage, and the first album's promotion tour, discography, chronology and an exclusive video for Juneau acoustic
In the United States, the EP Seven Ways To Scream Your Name was released instead. It featured three of the tracks from Four Ways To Scream Your Name, three from Between Order And Model and a further unreleased track. The debut was released later.
The second album Hours was released in 2005. Streetcar, Monsters, History and Roses for the Dead have been released as singles.
Funeral For A Friend released the first single, off their 3rd album, Into Oblivion (Reunion) on May 7th 2007 and the album Tales Don't Tell Themselves was released on May 14th 2007. The album caused much controversy with fans of their earlier albums, especially with fans of their EPs and 'Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation', due to a major change in their sound to a more melodic version of their earlier post-hardcore. The band then released the ninth track on Tales Don't Tell Themselves Walk Away. Then the release of The Great Wide Open came in a form of an EP highlighting the bands earlier part of their career containing not only the single The Great Wide Open but live versions of most of their older EP songs.
FFAF released a new album in 2008 via their newly formed label Join Us, after leaving Atlantic. On the 27th August 2008, it was announced that the band had licensed their new record to Victory Records for the U.S. and Canadian releases. The album was released via the label on October 28, 2008. It was also released via Roadrunner Records in the rest of the world, apart from the UK, where it was released through the band's own label, Join Us.
On September 4, 2008, it was announced via a MySpace blog post that Gareth Davies had left the band, to be replaced by Gavin Burrough (Hondo Maclean, Ghostlines, The Future). "As some of you may know, Gareth has been living in America for the past couple of years, and recently got married. Ultimately, the strain of travelling between continents has taken it's toll and Gareth made the decision that it would be in the best interests of himself, his family and Funeral to leave the band. We totally respect and understand his choice, wish him all the best in his future and we thank him for being part of our lives for the past 6 years."
On June 24, 2009 it was revealed in Kerrang! magazine that the band were to release a greatest hits album, entitled Your History Is Mine: 2002-2009, on September 28, 2009. The compilation is to also contain four brand new tracks, which will be the first new material released by the band since the arrival of Burrough.
On April 26, 2010, Funeral for a Friend wrote on their forum about their lineup change, paying homage to the departure of their friend Darran Smith, but also announcing the new member. Gavin Burrough changed instrument from bass to guitar, taking over Darran's place as guitarist, and Richard Boucher became the new bassist of Funeral for a Friend.
On May 3, 2010 the band announced that they will be releasing a special new EP to fans who "pledged" through website pledgemusic.com, the "pledge" options include the EP, a signed EP and even an acoustic performance by the band at a fan's residence.[12] On July 1, 2010 the band revealed that the EP will be titled "The Young and Defenseless" and also revealed the cover art. The EP was subsequently released for download on September 6, 2010 and physical release was a week later. Towards the end of October 2010 they finished a session of recording for a new album for which a name and date were yet to be announced. On 2 November, they played two new songs, confirmed to be on this album (which was announced as due for release in March 2011), called "Man Alive" and "Front Row Seats to the End of the World". Another song title was confirmed as "Spinning Over the Island."
On 10 January 2011, the band released the official video for the album's leading single "Front Row Seats to the End of the World" and announced their fifth studio album would be called Welcome Home Armageddon. On 24 January, it was announced that the album was to be released by Good Fight Music, a move that would reconnect the band with the original label team that released Seven Ways to Scream Your Name and Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation. Welcome Home Armageddon was released 14 March 2011 in Britain through Distiller Records and 15 March in the United States through Good Fight and later on distributed through Roadrunner to the rest of the world.
On 22 May 2012, Ryan Richards announced that he was leaving the band. He cited his family as the reason, saying: “I’ve always put music first in my life – but the time has come now for my family to take the top spot”. It was the band's initial intention that Richards would not be replaced instantly and that the band would only look for a touring member to play for the band. However, it was announced on that Pat Lundy would be joining the band as Richards' replacement. Lundy is the former drummer of London-based heavy metal band Rise to Remain, having left the band in January 2012. Funeral for a Friend spent all of 2012, bar their brief festival appearances writing and recording for their sixth studio album. Over the year they released several studio updates showing the band members tracking different instruments for the album.
On 4 October of that year the band confirmed the title and release date of their sixth album Conduit for a 28 January 2013 release in the United Kingdom and on 5 February 2013 through The End Records In the United States.
On 28 September 2014, Funeral for a Friend debuted the lead single from their forthcoming album Chapter and Verse, titled "You've Got a Bad Case of the Religions" on the Rock Show on BBC Radio 1. The band then announced the album's release date of January 19, 2015 as well as a UK/European Tour in support of the album.
On 14 September 2015, Funeral for a Friend announced their breakup and the 'Last Chance to Dance' final tour across Australia, Germany and the UK, which spanned from February to April 2016; they played two subsequent nights on each stop of the tour, performing Hours and Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation in their entirety (alongside other songs) on the first and second night respectively.
In August 2019, Funeral for a Friend announced two special reunion concerts, with the proceedings going to the family of a terminally ill friend of the band. The two shows were set to be on 28 and 29 October at The Globe in Cardiff and O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. As well as members Matt Davies-Kreye, Kris Coombs-Roberts, Gav Burrough, and Richard Boucher, the band will be joined by former guitarist Darran Smith and drummer/screamer Ryan Richards. After the initial two dates sold out quickly, the Cardiff show was upgraded from The Globe to the Cardiff Student Union, and a second Cardiff date was added for 27 October.
On 27 January 2020, Download festival announced their upcoming performance as part of the 2020 lineup. The festival would be cancelled in April, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. In September 2021, the band were a late addition to Slam Dunk festival. In July 2020, the band announced that they would be touring the UK in April 2021 playing songs from Casually-dressed & deep in Conversation, Hours, and Tales don't tell themselves, also due to COVID-19 the tour dates were postponed, taking place in early March 2022. After the initial dates sold out, the band added two additional dates in Cardiff and London and upgraded the venues for Manchester and Glasgow, which was then followed up with four additional dates in Leeds, Bristol, and Bournemouth alongside a third London date at Shepherd's Bush Empire. Due to illness, Richard Boucher was replaced on bass for the last 4 shows by the band's guitar-tech Steve Nash.
Official site
Brazilian fansite
Red Is the New Black
Funeral for a Friend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got to look at all of your options
You can't decide what to go for
When it's all about trust
You see yourself on the tv
You read your magazine
You can't explain how it's come to be this
Stop and think...
This coverage, your centre spread
Your neon light daydream will
Shatter and break
And if you think I'm thinking of
You're value here
You're the one who's losing control
This eventual stop, this break in the mould
I scream down this hotline
Just to feel something
This situation isn't getting any better
I see that look in your eyes (the look in your eyes)
You want to see a pretty face?
There isn't anything wrong with giving up
And for what it's worth
I still hate you
The song "Red is the New Black" by Funeral for a Friend is a powerful expression of the frustrations of feeling trapped in a cycle of fame and superficiality. The lyrics speak to the pressures of success, media attention, and the feeling of losing control over one's own life. The opening lines acknowledge the unique qualities of the individual and the importance of exploring all options. However, the lyrics also illustrate the sense of helplessness felt by those who have become trapped in a world of surface appearances and superficial connections.
The line "You see yourself on the TV, you read your magazine / You can't explain how it's come to be this" speaks to the way fame and success can be all-consuming, leaving the individual lost and struggling to understand how they got where they are. The chorus emphasizes the importance of trust and the danger of losing control: "When it's all about trust / This coverage, your center spread / Your neon light daydream will / Shatter and break."
The song then transitions to a more desperate tone, with the singer acknowledging that the situation is not improving, and that they see a look in the other person's eyes that suggests they are only interested in superficial connections. The final line, "For what it's worth, I still hate you" represents a last-ditch effort to assert control and reject the false, superficial connections of the world they find themselves in.
Overall, "Red is the New Black" is a powerful expression of the frustrations of maintaining success in a world that values only superficiality and image over authentic connection and trust.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't pretend that you're nothing special
It's impossible to deny that you have unique qualities and abilities.
You've got to look at all of your options
You need to consider all the choices that are available to you.
You can't decide what to go for
You're having difficulty making a decision about what path to take.
When it's all about trust
The key factor in this situation is being able to have trust and confidence in someone or something.
You see yourself on the tv
Your image or likeness is being broadcasted on TV.
You read your magazine
You're consuming media content from a magazine publication.
You can't explain how it's come to be this
You can't understand how things have turned out this way.
Stop and think...
Take a moment to pause and reflect on your situation.
This coverage, your centre spread
This significant, prominent feature about you in the media.
Your neon light daydream will
Your vivid, unrealistic fantasy will
Shatter and break
Fall apart and come to an end.
And if you think I'm thinking of
If you believe that I'm considering
You're value here
Your significance or usefulness in this context
You're the one who's losing control
You're the person who's losing power and influence in this situation.
This eventual stop, this break in the mould
This eventual end, this departure from the norm.
I scream down this hotline
I'm shouting loudly through this communication channel.
Just to feel something
I'm doing this solely to experience some kind of feeling or emotion.
This situation isn't getting any better
Things are not improving in this situation.
I see that look in your eyes (the look in your eyes)
I can perceive that expression in your eyes (that expression in your eyes).
You want to see a pretty face?
Do you desire to see an attractive appearance?
There isn't anything wrong with giving up
It's okay to abandon something or quit in certain situations.
And for what it's worth
For whatever value or merit this has.
I still hate you
Despite everything, I still harbor negative feelings towards you.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DARRAN ANTHONY SMITH, KRIS ROBERTS, MATTHEW DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mateusrodrigues8567
Can't pretend that you're nothing special
You've got to look at all of your options
You can't decide what to go for
When it's all about trust (it's all about trust)
You see your self on the TV
You read your magazines
You can't explain how it's come to be this
Stop and think.
When it's all about trust (it's all about trust)
This coverage your centre spread
Your neon light daydream will shatter and break
And if you think I'm thinking of your value here
You're the one who's losing control
This eventual stop this, break in the mold
I scream down this hotline just to feel something
This situation, isn't getting any better
I see that look in your eyes
You want to see a pretty face
There isn't anything wrong with giving up
And for what it's worth, I still hate you.
This situation isn't getting any better, I see that look in your eye
@junioralvesvozeviolao
Fez parte da minha juventude, nostalgia ouvir red is the new black... São Paulo, Brasil
@XavierAway
I was never depressed enough to listen to this, but boy am I now, banger!
@zoomgallygally
Welcome to the dark side
@dantelikesrock
lol.
@mateusrodrigues8567
Can't pretend that you're nothing special
You've got to look at all of your options
You can't decide what to go for
When it's all about trust (it's all about trust)
You see your self on the TV
You read your magazines
You can't explain how it's come to be this
Stop and think.
When it's all about trust (it's all about trust)
This coverage your centre spread
Your neon light daydream will shatter and break
And if you think I'm thinking of your value here
You're the one who's losing control
This eventual stop this, break in the mold
I scream down this hotline just to feel something
This situation, isn't getting any better
I see that look in your eyes
You want to see a pretty face
There isn't anything wrong with giving up
And for what it's worth, I still hate you.
This situation isn't getting any better, I see that look in your eye
@natalieh325
I remember these lyrics off by heart ❤️🖤❤️
@anusperfecto4786
Still my favorite band after more than half my life.
@HateTheEnding
Such a great song! I remember hearing it for the first time and falling in love with it.
@keysmash723
me too friend
@SouthWestI10
The melodic guitar work and rythem fit perfectly with the lyrics