Music Q&A:
Funeral for a Friend

Guitarist of one of the last remaining bands of the British hardcore scene that exploded in the early 2000s, Kris Coombs-Roberts talks about how things have changed ahead of shows at Manchester Gorilla, 17 Jan, and Leeds Uni, 20 Jan.

Has your sound progressed to reflect current music on Chapter and Verse?
I think Chapter and Verse represents everything we love about music, not any passing trend. We’ve always been a band who do what we love and we never really look for influence in music scenes going on around us. If anything we push in the opposite direction to whatever’s in fashion.

So many bands have fleeting careers now. What is the secret of your longevity?
Determination and stubborn-mindedness. A lot of bands call it a day after a couple of setbacks but that’s never been the case with us.

How do you feel about the musical landscape now and popular music at the moment?
I think music is in an interesting place at the moment. There are a lot
of good bands out there like The People The Poet, Landscapes and Bring Me The Horizon. But I think mostbands don’t get to reach their potential these days. You’ll hear a great band and within a month you’ll hear 30 bands imitating them and then people become disinterested and want something new.
So that first band you hear never get to fulfill what they started. It’s sad.
Your lyrics seem to have taken a more political direction on this album. Why?
Matt (Davies-Kreye, vocals) likes people to interpret his lyrics in a way that’s relevant to them. He’s not one for standing on a soapbox and preaching. He sings about things that matter to him and offers his view on them. I guess the older you get the more your social and global conscience grows.

Do you enjoy touring as much as you did in the early days?
We all still love touring, it’s the most organic way of sharing music. We feed off the energy in a room of people. It’s an incredible experience to write a song purely for yourself and then see how that song becomes everyone’s. We do take it easier these days – we like nothing more than a hot drink and an early night so we’re fresh for the next day. Only joking… Well, partly joking.

ANTONIA CHARLESWORTH