This isn't really a review but...
I missed you guys at alton towers- I'll admit, I didn't care much if i saw you or not. *boooo* I'm not a big fan of worship bands anyways - okay you can quit throwing things at me now, I'll redeem myself. Last night I got asked by another church to help them out with singing and they played me your holy holy holy song. I have to say, i adored it. that is an AWESOME song and i really admire you guys for sticking it out with all-out praise songs. I think I'm gonna get this introed in my own church.
By the way why the heck is it dez's fault that he "still listens to heavy metal"...I do. Does that make me sad??
OK - I'll admit I'm pathetic. I did miss you guys at alton towers. Point taken.

Love n hugs
Esther x x x

Great concert, great album!
I'd just like to say that I was at your concert at ID in Tunbridge Wells last month and it was great! In fact, because of the concert I went out the next day and bought your album "Open". I really love it. I especially like the songs "Rain", "glory" and "creator" but the other songs are all great too. I was also wondering which song it was you said you were going to release as a single and whether it will have any B-sides. Also will it be in the christian charts or the mainstream because it would be great to here something decent in the mainstream charts for once.

Thanx - Edward

Mannafest
My name is Chris. I was at mannafest last night and saw you perform. You were fantastic both in your singing and display of faith. I am going to buy your albums this week and will hopefully get up to Portstewart to see you. As a Sunday School teacher and keen on Christian music I hope to be able use some of your songs in the worship at my church. The acetates on you website will of course prove very useful. I design web sites part time and I have to congratulate you on your site, it is excellent.

It is obvious that the work you do is grounded on a very strong faith and your ability to express it and share it with others is a gift from God. Ken's small talks in between the songs show your faith as does the way you all got together to, presumably, pray at the end of the gig. I hope that you are in Belfast again soon, or at that I will at least get the chance to see you at Portstewart.

I wish you all the best for the future, you are doing an excellent job.

God bless,

Chris.

Belfast Rocked
i was @ mannafest in Belfast on the 5th May and wow, were u guys good. You totally ROCK, it was completely Fab. The best, AWESOME, whatever you want to call it u guys were GOOD

(By the way this is from tanya craig)

Happy at last!
Hi to everyone at yfriday.
Typing to say that Open is a fantastic new album. I picked up a copy at the NE:One gig and it's really good. Ken (Mr Riley) may or may not remember a whinging teenager who moaned that although Rainmaker was packed full of top tunes it lacked a bit of punch due to the lack of some good 'ol guitar distortion and riffs. 'Open', I'm glad to hear combines fantastic tunes with the Jesus powered rock we hear at your live gigs.Keep up the good work and proclaim the good word; that Jesus is the way. -Chris

Bonjour!
Dear Dez, Ken, Gav and Danny,
I just want to thank you all, for such a brilliant week at Spring Harvest!!!
THANK YOU!!!!!!
You music was brilliant, and I very much enjoyed the worship lead by you. Your songs are very powerful. Keep going, and carry on changing other peoples lives.
I shall be praying for you all, while you're touring Ireland, I pray that God touches other peoples hearts , through your music like he did to me.
It would be really cool if you all came out to France sometime next year and see if you could convert some of the French population. Dez, you said you never turn down challenges!!!
You are all fantastic, kind people, never change!
God bless
Lots of love
Jennifer (from France)

Spring Harvest

hiya.
i went to Spring Harvest and saw yfriday play - and they were absolutely brilliant. They rocked the house down.
Their lyrics are so meaningful, they just stay with me all day, and they help me keep in tune with god.
And- to top it all off, they are a real nice bunch of guys, as I chatted with them for a bit, and they really left an impression on me.
They have really inspired me to both get better at my guitar playing, and also to keep the word of God alive!
AMAZING
missing them allready
cheers guys
Harry Edwards

PS: their new album is great, and i'm looking forward to having the music for it, so i can rock with god !

Springy
Hi Guys,
I just thought i would say that you were so great at Springy in April at Minehead!! I had heard a few weeks before that you were going to the Alton Towers day in May and I had only heard of you once before that so i thought this was my chance to see what you were really like. At Springy your songs touched so many of us from Clevedon and we are praying you will come to our town some day so the rest of the Clevedon Baptist Church Bunch can see why we all came back singing Holy, Holy, Holy and Head Over Heals so loudly in Youth Club!!
I hope we get to speak to you again like we did at Springy because it was amazing to meet a band who speak to their supporters!! Thank you for a great week and hope to see you all in the near future as i miss you loads!!
Love Jen
P.S Dez, do you remember Jess - the girl who played on your drum kit at Springy, she is still really excited that she got to sit at your drum kit. I don't think Clevedon's Encounter Band will ever be the same after we heard you guys and what we can really do in our worship times!! THANX

Edited by Ken to keep anonimity - we're totally humbled
Dearest yfronts,
I wanna say a dez style MEGA, LUSH TA VERY MUCH for your presence at Spring Harvest. I'd kinda made this bargain with God (u really shouldn't do that should u) that if He kept me alive til Springers, i'd reconvert and be a born again again Christian and partly due to your spanking music and seminar thingies, i swallowed my pride (there's alot of it) and that's what's happened. I can't really begin to express what an overnight difference recommiting to God made in my life (if i had Ne talent i might write a song about it) but i thought u might be chuffed to know that u four strange northeners have 'made a difference, touched lives (well at least 1) and all those other similar cliches. Let's have a party!! Praise the Lord! I better get a mention in dez's hellos now! Just please! pray that i don't run out of zeal (is that even a word?) when i return to school and all my promiscous (is that a word either? wot am i saying) unenlightened mates. And pray that they don't all murder me after the 50th rendition of holy holy holy! Keep on doing whatever it is you do when u'r not at spring harvest. I would quote the bible at this point but seeing as i'm not that shockingly holy...yet i'll just say...cheers for writing and performing the music that broke my heart for God to fix., luv xxx

Spring Harvest

Thank you for your music at spring harvest last week it was really good.
I'm being baptised on Sunday and have chosen HEAD OVER HEELS for my song. I know there's not much chance of this happening but would you come and play it for me?

God bless, Sean.

Dez drying off?
Hi,
I just want to say that the worship sessions at Spring Harvest were great and that the band were great and really helped me to raise my praise to God.I'd also like to say how nice you guys actually are from seeing you at semiinars,etc.
Also CONGRATULATIONS !!! to Dez and, though it's a great loss to the pool of available christian males, may God bless you both as you go into a new
life together!!!
God Bless,

LUCY

REAL MUSIC WITH A REAL MESSAGE

Once upon a time back in the last century I went to the Regent Theatre in Ipswich to see Noel Richards. There was a supporting band on the bill by the name of Yfriday. Strange name I thought. What does it mean? I watched and I listened and I was impressed. I went home thinking I would like to hear more of them. I bought the album Rainmaker and the more I listened to it the more I liked it. The result of this meeting for was a major re-discovery of
Christian Rock music and have since discovered Booley, Delirious, Superhero, Fono, All Star United, Skypark and the like. So thanks guys for that. Real music with a real message.

So to the new stuff. I heard one or two of the new songs from Open when the guys were in Eastbourne in November 2000. They reminded me of the Manic Street Preachers and Ken seems to even look a bit like Mr Bradley especially the way he stands at the mic. So what of the new album. I got my copy three days before it was officially released which was nice. I have listened to it a few times now. This is a quite different album from Rainmaker. It smacks of maturity in its music, its lyrics and its production. Right from the off the depth of the sound hits you. Lyrically the songs are strong and passionate but absolutely cringe free. There are times when you can sense the annointing and the shivers go down my spine. These are songs about two lovers in an intimate relationship and you can feel the power and the passion. Kens vocal is strong and much more rounded than Rainmaker.

Close listening reveals lots of different noises. I don't like to compare but there are touches of the above mentioned bands and even a bit of U2. Not surprising really as they are all of the same gendre and that's fine with me coz I like them all. But this is a definitively Yfriday sounding album. Best track? Hard to say as they are so varied and each has its own style
and message. However there are no worst tracks. This is an album I would be proud of. It is a great album. I love it, I love them. Buy it and go and see them this year. What more can I say? God bless you Yfriday.

Duncan Sherwin

Open the best!
To all o' you,
I just got the Open album from yfriday and it is the best album I have ever heard. My favourite song is Rain. Does Ken write all of them on his
own coz if he does he's a mint songwriter. Can u play loads of the new songs at 9th hour? It'll be great!
Wasn't the 9th hour on the 25th of march really great. Everyone was going mad for JESUS!! Can u get Mark Ritchie back again coz he was really good.

Thanks a lot,
Praying for you all,
Robbie

ON FIRE

Hiya YFriday!

How are you all?
I'm just writing to say I love all of you loads! I think you're all brillant! You are all such an
encouragement, to just hear you or read something about you makes me feel so encouraged. You are all so on-fire for God! Its fantastic! It makes me wanna be more on-fire for God, and I feel encouraged by you all. I love your music!!! I hope you keep on with it! God bless you all! Bye!

Love, Rachael xxx

STRANGELY DRAWN...

I am a very new Christian. Just a few short months and very hungry to know the Lord and praise Him. On a rare day off I went to Wesley Owen the Christian shop in Bristol. I noticed a man with headsets on listening to some music and being a very nosey person! I had to copy him and see what the music was. There were 4 CD's to choose from. I was drawn to one called Yfriday. I listened to a few songs and thought Wow this is amazing. I bought the CD along with loads of books and a video all about Christ(as I said I am Hungry!!).

On my way home, my very close friend Mark rang me. He is a Christian and we share alot together. He asked me if I was going in to town as he knew I had the day off. I explained I had just been into town. He said O no I really wanted you to go to Wesley Owen and get me a CD. I explained I had been there and told him I had bought loads of things including an excellent CD. We chatted for a while and then he asked which CD I had bought. I explained what had happened and said it was called YFriday. He said I don't believe you just said that as that it the CD I wanted you to buy me. He had bought the Juice CD and heard Shine and really wanted the CD. I had no idea of this and he had no idea that I had gone to the shop. That is of the Lord. We have spent the last 2 weeks telling everyone to buy your CD!!

It is of the Lord. Keep writing and producing and playing. Please come to Bristol soon.
Bless you with God's riches blessings
Tash

CARLSILE

Lads,

Today is January 29th and you were at Carlisle performing with Noel Richards tonight. I got soooooo much out of your set. The whole atmosphere in the hall was so uplifting and I felt extremely close to God. As I'm only 16 I havn't had that many experiences of the feeling, and it's brill when it happens. I'd just like to
thank you all for making such a brilliant variety of music.

I was great to be spiritual and thoughtful, and yet you managed to keep us all jumping and clapping, and most importantly worshipping, throughout. I havn't had a particularly troublesome life, I've not done anything so wrong that I think there's no way out. But tonight I was able to face up to and confess, to God and to myself, my flaws. I'm determined to change the little everyday things, and hopefully that will help me in the long run.

I'll try to get to a concert in Newcastle some time soon. I'll bring my screaming mates with me (do you remember Bek who was a bit 'happy' to say the least?) Thank you and God Bless

Gill

GOD IS GREAT

Guys,

Great Worship! Great sound! Great songs!
Please mail me with details of when and where
I can get hold of the music. 'Bout covers it except to pray God's massive blessings on your ministry

Martyn

SHORT BUT SWEET

I just thought I would email you to say that you have a superb album and all your songs are really powerful and keep up the great work

God Bless
Daniel

IPSWICH CONCERT

i think the concert was excellent my mum, dad, sister and friends loved it - you're a really cool group. if you released a single i think it would go to number one because you are number one. if the single was christian nobody would buy it - unfortunately so it would have to be like stereophonics.

luv hanna

HI FROM AN OLD FRIEND

hi guys

just thought i'd write you a little note! i just recently came across your 'rainmaker' album!!! i had to buy it!!! i used to live up north in berwick-upon-Tweed, and since the yfriday event
first started up i used to go along every month to it with my local youth group. i loved it too bits, and i would always look forward to it the next month - and it kept you fired-up for God, and getting real with God. so it was great - a great time of worship, and one song that stuck in my mind was 'Holy Holy Holy' i remember singing it there when the event was still
held at Bethshan all those years back!!!

i have now moved down here to leicester, and i do miss going to the yfirday event, but i'm glad to now have your cd! whats more, i'm going to spring harvest the same week your playing down in minehead - so i'm well excited about that!
it'll be like i'm back home!!! - so to speak!!!

i read a review the other day from 'cross rhythms' issue 53 and it was great to hear how God is moving in newcastle and the surrounding area! that people are still coming to Christ through this event!!! thats just amazing!!! God has great plans in using you all.

i wish you all the best and my prayers are with you as you tour around and I pray that God will use you to make an impact on people.

See you at spring harvest guys!!!

take care and God bless you

Proverbs 3 v 5-6

A SUSPECT REVIEW!!

here is my review of yfriday. dez totally rocks I have never heard anything like him on the drums. I wish I had him in my band!

from Mr J B Jovi

p.s. he is also my hero, can I have a poster?

A YOUNG ADMIRER

hello

my teacher mr.minto is so cool he listens to heavy metal music in school. i think he is the coolest teacher in the world. mr. minto's lessons in school are the best. I realy like the songs you make. I also think his hair is really
spiky. I think his long hair was wacky.

from hayley

WEST HAM FAN REVIEW

Hi guys,

you probably don't remember me! but I was that mad west ham united fan who you signed your rainmaker album for. I thought you were really
great on saturday and you really spoke into my friends life who doesn't know the Holy Spirit. I love your album, especially the song rainmaker
but why is it so short I wish it went on and on and on!!!

keep smiling
Hannah