It’s unusual for Wrexham to be host to a band hailed by one major rock magazine as ‘the best rock band on the planet.’ The music media in general seems to have taken to Funeral For A Friend like a duck to water, and even before a debut album has been released. However, Welsh label Mighty Atom has released one EP, and with substantial help from a couple of charting singles and live performances around the country (including festival dates at Reading and Leeds), the band have made massive and rapid headway.

I also understand the band is launching in the USA within very soon with debut release Seven Ways To Scream Your Name. Interesting stuff and good reasons to look forward to the gig at Wrexham town’s major new venue, The William Aston Hall, on the North East Wales Institute (N.E.W.I.) campus. Supporting the band were two metal bands called Atticus Black and Million Dead.

As I entered the institute’s foyer, the buzz was tangible. Hundreds of teenage fans in outlandish metal dress were milling around and sitting in groups drinking pop from the strategically placed, legally required soft drinks stall. I’ve been to several concerts at the venue but I’ve never experienced the level of excitement and expectation present on the night. It was another reason to look forward to the performance by a band that has effectively brought Welsh-based rock music to the fore again.

The first band, Atticus Black, took to the stage in very dim lighting, and proceeded to give a very heavy, screaming rock performance devoid of melody and meaning. The rather small audience for them seemed unimpressed and unmoved. The second band, Million Dead, made more musical sense and gave a tight and passionate performance. Good but not great.

Then it was the turn of headliners Funeral For A Friend. The auditorium suddenly filled and I felt distinctly at risk in a pit crawling with security expecting numerous assaults on the stage. They weren’t wrong! Matt Davis (vocals), Kris Roberts (guitar), Darren Smith (guitar), Gareth Davies (bass) and Ryan Richards (drums) walked onto the stage with a level of confidence that belies their relatively short live performance experience. The audience welcome was deafening and was met by a band that seemed to immediately slot into the heavy rock groove.

The immediate impression was that of a band that works very hard in achieving a very tight instrumental sound. I was then quickly made aware of the band’s ability to connect with an audience, and to perform unselfishly for their fans. Matt Davis proved he has a voice that was equally at home with frenetic metal and slower ballads, and had the type of charismatic personality to lead from the front. However, both guitarists also played to their audience and managed to stamp their own personalities on the proceedings.

In comparison with the opening bands, Funeral For A Friend were way, way in front in just about every way. Songs were more melodic and regardless of pace seemed to possess sincerity, passion and meaning. But, ‘the best band on the planet’? I have my reservations and such pronouncements worry me greatly.

All I can do is use other bands I have seen as sources of reference. For example, are they as tight and exciting as Amen? Well, no. Can they match bands like Metallica and Deftones in the songwriting stakes? Well, no. Do they possess the pizzazz and fun of The Darkness? Well, not really. Are they as sensitive to melody as Evanescence or Creed? I don’t think so. What Funeral For A Friend possess are the ingredients and potential to become one of the UK’s finest heavy rock bands. And it’s for this reason that I feel their USA launch may be to soon and the media have, once again, raised unreasonable expectations of a good band but not (yet) a great band.

On the night the band gave a good, honest performance, connected strongly with their fans, and provided enough evidence to expect them to build a long-term future - providing they ‘hasten more slowly.’ I see this as a birth rather than a funeral, and that can’t be bad…