Live Review: Funeral For A Friend, Foxes, Idle Eyes

Local support Idle Eyes got the blood pumping and the heads banging with Chokehold and Damn Your Eyes. Shah Abdul Latip’s screams were incredible – a solid set from the boys.

Foxes supported Funeral For A Friend on the Perth leg of their last tour, back in 2013, and tonight returned to deliver new music. They started with …And So I Walk Alone Into The Dawn Of The Next Day before launching into two new untitled songs from their upcoming album. Exceptional set, but a little short at only four songs.

One could feel the energy in the room change; screams of excitement filled the air as the Welsh lads Funeral For A Friend jumped onto the stage, then launched into Pencil Pusher and High Castles.

The guys managed to deliver a decade of post-hardcore music in one tight set with songs from their first album, Casually Dressed & Deep In Conversation, to the latest, Chapter And Verse.

Bend Your Arms To Look Like Wings and Storytelling were crowd-pleasers, turning into a frenzy of jumping, head-banging and singalongs.

Between songs, vocalist Matthew Davies-Kreye shared his wisdom, political views and some of the experiences that defined them, explaining that if it wasn’t for the music they wouldn’t be the people they are today.

With Old Hymns, Recovery and Juneau, the crowd became an aggressive sea of hands that carried those who had the courage to plunge into them from the stage. The mood changed quickly with Davies-Kreye discussing the context of the song History before leading the crowd into an emotional rendition.

“Let’s get bat shit crazy!” yelled Davies-Kreye before launching into Roses For The Dead, the crowd exploding into uncontrollable moshing and crowdsurfing that carried through to Rookie Of The Year.

They bade their farewells with more thanks to the crowd for all the support over the years: “Perth, you’re extremely kind, always great and very open-minded. Thank you.”

Escape Artists Never Die finished off the night with the whole room moving to the beat like there was no tomorrow and you could feel the floor moving. The Welsh lads put on hell of a show; even though Davies-Kreye had a frog or two down his throat during a few songs, it didn’t stop him or the band from delivering an intense set.