Frankie and the Heartstrings are a indie rock band from Sunderland, the same Northeast England town that also gave us the great Futureheadsand Field Music. Despite being a relatively new band, they won many hearts on this summer’s European music festival circuit and already have a pretty devoted fanbase back home. Frankly (no pun intended), I can understand the attraction. This is not music with lots of electronic bells and whistles. They play feelgood guitar pop, taking a back to basics approach to craft their sound and creating utter perfection. Below is the video for “Ungrateful,” the band’s forthcoming single to be released next Monday (October 4th) in the UK on their own record label, Pop Sex Ltd.
If you live in New York City, you can catch them when they appear at CMJ later this month (date and time TBA).
Missed Sunderland band the Futureheads on their 2-week tour of the Eastern half of America in June? Have no fear. The English rock/punk quartet – Barry Hyde,Ross Millard, Jaff Craig, and Dave Hyde – will be returning to our side of the pond this fall, this time to wow the West. To be honest, I’m a bit sad that the shows on this tour are too far afield for me to travel to. But if you get the chance, catch their high-octane show on the dates below.
Tour Dates
Sep 28 – WFNX Disorientation Show / Boston
Sep 29 – Crocodile Cafe / Seattle
Sep 30 – Doug Fir / Portland
Oct 02 – Great American Music Hall / San Francisco
Oct 04 – Casbah / San Diego
Oct 06 – Troubadour / Los Angeles
Oct 08 – Kilby Court / Salt Lake City
Oct 09 – Bluebird Theatre / Denver
Oct 11 – Loft / Dallas
Oct 12 – Emo’s / Austin
Oct 13 – Fitzgerald’s / Houston
The Futureheads: website | myspace | The Futureheads Ready for June North American Tour | @ Black Cat
“Are you ready to rock?” asked a jovial Barry Hyde of the Futureheads Friday night. Cheering ensued. He flashed an evil grin. “You’re in the right place, because we are too!” The Sunderland, England punk rock quartet played a blazing set of favorites old and new to a crowd raring to go at the Black Cat in Washington. Their latest album The Chaos was released in America this past Tuesday on Dovecote Records.
The first of two support acts, the Static Jacks, seemed perfectly matched to the punk sensibility of the headlining Sunderland rockers. This five-member New Jersey band is a band primed for success that you’ve probably never even heard of by name before. According to Wikipedia, tunes by this self-described garage-soul band have graced “The Hills” and “The City” and have been featured on stateside satellite radio. Despite sporting a haircut reminiscent of Lyle Lovett, singerIan Devaney has the swagger and aura of coolness ofJoey Ramone and the magnetism of the Horrors‘ Faris Badwan. I was standing in front of bassist Spencer Kimmins and guitarist Henry Kaye and nearly got hit in the head by wayward guitar necks; this didn’t put me off at the slightest, because this is what you should expect during a high energy punk set. You don’t expect the bass player to hit a suitcase with a stick like it was a drum either, but you go with it if the music is good. Despite their young age (all of them under 21, according to the Xs on their hands), they have a polished but aggressive sound. If they keep this up, expect big things from this band soon.
The Like, an all-girl group from Los Angeles, have previously toured with some heavy hitters – Muse, the Arctic Monkeys, and Razorlight, just to name a few. Given their sometimes punk, sometimes sunny pop sound, the comparison to the Go-Go’s is inevitable. There are also whiffs of the Beatles(check out the video for “He’s Not a Boy” below, which reminds me of the nightclub dance scenes in “A Hard Day’s Night”) and the Beach Boys with their harmonies. Oddly, their set sandwiched in between the Static Jacks and the Futureheads almost felt like a rest period because they couldn’t match the liveliness of the other two acts. I would have preferred if they stuck to punk (and showcase their technical chops) than with retro pop. Their next album produced by Mark Ronson, Release Me, will be released on June 15 on Downtown Records.
Sunderland, nestled in the far reaches of Northeast England, has been criminally neglected by music pundits in the past, but mark my words, it won’t be for much longer. One of these days someday soon, America will come to its collective senses and realize the wealth of music there, from the likes of Field Music, Frankie and the Heartstrings, and Friday’s headliners the Futureheads. I should have known I was in for an amazing nights simply from a message lead singer/guitarist Barry Hyde sent me hours before the show, “we’re going to rock your socks off!”
The moment Hyde and his band stepped on the Black Cat stage, you could sense the electricity in the air. The driving count-in of “5-4-3-2-1!” of “The Chaos” was a superb way to begin a set that never let up in sheer intensity and fun. “Heartbeat Song” was prefaced by Hyde with, “imagine it’s the ’80s. You’re in a John Hughes film, and you’ve just fallen in love.” Wow. It’s the obvious earworm single of The Chaos, and was simply breathtaking live as a pop-punk masterpiece. I previously linked to the excellent promo video for the song on a tour announcement 2 months ago, but check out this “making of” video that shows you just how fun these guys are.
Their roadie had painstakingly taped down all the guitar cords onstage, and this was because guitarist Ross Millard, bassist Jaff Craig, and most often Hyde himself could be found roaming the stage while frenetically going at their instruments with gusto. By the second song in, all of them were covered in sweat. Having never seen this band before live, I was not expecting the very funny stage patter from Hyde and the interaction between him, Millard, and Craig. It made an already stellar gig even better, and I’d argue they rank up there with We Are Scientists for pure during-gig hilarity. Early on in the show, Hyde chided a drunk couple who had been chatting throughout the set, one of whom had thrown a empty glass at his feet. “You do know this is a gig, right?” The crowd cheered in response.
During their cover of Kate Bush‘s “Hounds of Love,” Hyde involved the audience in a shouting contest, as Millard was unable to do his harmonies due to a sore throat, Hyde admitting he was scared to sing part of a song that he’d never done live before. Aww. (If you were wondering, my side singing along with Craig won the contest due to our enthusiasm in participating.) For the encore, Hyde indulged a devoted fan as the band played “Man Ray” from their 2004 self-titled debut album, saying to her, “after every single song we’ve played you shouted for this.” Just goes to show that persistence, in the presence of a obliging band, pays off. After such an energetic set, it was obvious that these chaps from Sunderland could have played on for hours and hours and the crowd would have eaten it all up. I can’t wait to see these guys again soon.
The Futureheads Set List
The Chaos
Meantime
Heartbeat Song
Decent Days and Nights
The Baron
Area
Struck Dumb
Sun Goes Down
Skip to the End
The Connector
I Can Do That
The Beginning of the Twist
Hounds of Love (Kate Bush cover)
Jupiter
//
This is the Life
Man Ray
Work is Never Done
Tour Dates
Jun 07 – Paradise / Boston
Jun 08 – Bowery Ballroom / New York City
Jun 10 – Mod Club / Toronto
Jun 11 – Magic Stick / Detroit
Jun 12 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago
Billing themselves as “Sunderland’s finest rock band” on their official Web site, Northeast England alt-rockers the Futureheadshave announced a short tour of North America this June.
Their forthcoming album, The Chaos, will be released in the UK on April 26 on Nul Records and in America on June 01 on Dovecote Records. Physical CDs and vinyl, both with instant digital downloads, can be pre-ordered here. Watch the old-time quiz show spoof video for earworm “Heartbeat Song” below.
Tour Dates
Jun 01 – Music Hall of Williamsburg / Brooklyn
Jun 02 – First Unitarian Church / Philadelphia, PA
Jun 03 – Ottobar / Baltimore
Jun 04 – Black Cat /Washington, DC
Jun 05 – Maxwell’s / Hoboken
Jun 07 – Paradise / Boston
Jun 08 – Bowery Ballroom / New York City
Jun 10 – Mod Club / Toronto
Jun 11 – Magic Stick / Detroit
Jun 12 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago
Sunderland, England indie rock band Field Music, led by brothers David and Peter Brewis, have announced a North American tour for early next year. The band originally planned to tour on our side of the pond this December but had to cancel scheduled dates in Brooklyn and Chicago due to illness.
Field Music’s fifth official album, Measure, will be released in America on February 16, 2010 on Thrill Jockey Records.
Tour Dates:
Jan 30 – Bell House / Brooklyn
Mar 15 – Cedar Cultural Center / Minneapolis
Mar 16 – High Noon Saloon / Madison
Mar 17 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago
Mar 19 – Horseshoe Tavern / Toronto
Mar 20 – Il Motore / Montreal
Mar 21 – Great Scott / Allston, MA
Mar 23 – Bowery Ballroom / New York City
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Concert Calendar
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HaHa Tonka @ Recordbar, Kansas City MO
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Thee Oh Sees @ The Granada, Lawrence KS
Frankie and the Heartstrings are a indie rock band from Sunderland, the same Northeast England town that also gave us the great Futureheads and Field Music. Despite being a relatively new band, they won many hearts on this summer’s European music festival circuit and already have a pretty devoted fanbase back home. Frankly (no pun intended), I can understand the attraction. This is not music with lots of electronic bells and whistles. They play feelgood guitar pop, taking a back to basics approach to craft their sound and creating utter perfection. Below is the video for “Ungrateful,” the band’s forthcoming single to be released next Monday (October 4th) in the UK on their own record label, Pop Sex Ltd.
