THEY may be veterans of the British hardcore rock scene but Funeral for a Friend aim to prove they are as relevant and urgent as they were at the turn of the 21st century.

The Welsh rockers will grace the stage at Southampton’s 1865 tomorrow (Friday) to treat fans to material from new album Chapter & Verse, and their extensive back catalogue.

After bursting out of Bridgend, south Wales in 2001, they were hailed as the saviours of rock music from a young age and were tasked with re-energising a scene in desperate need of fresh blood.

Now they are back with their seventh full-length record – an album that could well be their most sonically diverse record yet.

The Daily Echo spoke to the band’s bassist Rich Boucher ahead of tomorrow’s headline show.

“We have had some time off but we are ready to come back”, Rich said.

“Listeners of the new album can expect a lot of honesty, and classic Funeral for a Friend energy.

“What you hear on record is what we play live. All the vocals are in single takes, and all the roughness in recording is the way it sounds live. It gives us so much more energy.”

Chapter & Verse opens with vocalist Matthew Davies-Kreye’s personalised off-the-hinges screaming, and one of the albums defining features is its unapologetically political lyrical content.

Rich added: “When we first started we were all very young. Topics were on things like love. But as we got older, our views changed. You settle down with a girl, you start looking at other things like politics.

“We are very lucky that we are one of those bands who have a very loyal fan base. We can play anywhere in the world and see familiar faces.

“It is going to be an exciting set and Southampton is a great place. The show will be extremely energetic, loud, emotive, and with a great sense of passion and melody.

“Get down the front and sing your hearts out – we are all in this together.”

Rory McKeown