On a recent tour with Funeral For A Friend, Matthew 'Matt' Tuck, lead vocalist for Bullet For My Valentine, spoke to Room Thirteen about all things welsh!

Room Thirteen: Can you tell us a little about how you guys all came together?
Matthew Tuck: I was originally in a band called Jeff Killed John but after 9 years of no rewards, financially or otherwise, our bassist decided he had had enough and decided to leave. So we found a new bassist, changed our name and here we are today!

R13: How did you come up with the new name?
MT: We basically just brainstormed a load of ideas and found one that fit in with the fictional evil yet loving lyrical content of the music rather than being completely random name.

R13: You also changed your direction of music. How did you decide in which way to take the style of your music?
MT: There was no specific decision made. We just started to write and whatever happened, happened. Luckily it totally worked.
R13: Was the change in direction a collective decision?
MT: 'Four Words' was the first song we wrote as Bullet and the harmony guitars and big angelic choruses seemed to have just progressed from there.

R13: You are now signed to Sony with a fantastic five album deal however you were previously offered a deal with Roadrunner. In hindsight this was a good decision but what made you turn the Roadrunner deal down?
MT: It was mainly because we though that a lot more door would be open to us with the Sony deal.
R13: Did you know about the Sony deal when you were approached by Roadrunner?
MT: Yeah there was this big bidding war going on.

R13: To move on to your performance at Download this year. Everybody who was there (including myself) seemed to really enjoy the gig and you seemed to receive some good reviews.
MT: Yeah. Kerrang! were a bit harsh but the dude who reviewed us was a death metal guy and I think anything that wasn't his style didn't really get a good review but he can fuck off because I know it was good!
R13: Did you enjoy the whole Download experience?
MT: Yeah it was amazing!
R13: You're booked for next year I believe?
MT: Yeah kind of! Andy Copin who runs the show is a big fan of ours which helps us a lot. He offered us a main stage slot this year but we turned it down to play high up on the Snickers stage and to be honest this was totally the right choice considering the fact we haven't even got an album out yet. However next year we will be playing the main stage.

R13: So how's the tour with Funeral For A Friend going?
MT: Amazing! We're really enjoying it as its like going on tour with your mates!
R13: How have the Funeral For A Friend fans reacted to you?
MT: It's like playing our own headline shows! Every night it's been mad and they have actually told us please leave some people for us to entertain.

R13: There seems to be a lot of talent coming from the South Wales region. Are you proud of your roots and where you come from?
MT: Totally. It's our home and we have no intentions of dwelling anywhere else. We love where we live!

R13: Do you have any tips for other welsh rockers who are trying to break though at the moment?
MT: Just keep on at it! We were working for 9 years before we even got a sniff of a deal. You have to get out there and keep gigging. Making a good demo is also essential. Get an agent too but don't bother with a manager.
R13: You've had problems with managers in the past?
MT: Yeah. We have a great manager now who's really professional and has been in the business for over 20 years but as an unsigned band just stay away, as they are all out to stiff you!
R13: Did you get stiffed?
MT: They tried but didn't succeed... luckily we didn't fall into that trap!

R13: So when can we expect to see a new release from Bullet For My Valentine?
MT: Our new album will be released on the 26th September 2005 and we will be playing the first track from the album tonight called 'Her Voice Resides'.

For more information about Bullet For My Valentine please see their website www.BulletForMyValentine1.com