Frankie & the Heartstrings
(At press time the band had canceled its SXSW appearance.)
The triumph and rehabilitation of ex-Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins following two cerebral hemorrhages in 2005 is one of the most miraculous tales in modern music. His story is made all the more remarkable by his return to music. His most recent solo album, Losing Sleep (released in September on the Heavenly label), was one of the musical highlights of last year. And Collins hasn’t been simply content with relearning how to live his life and make music again. A restless soul, he’s also returned to produce a number of albums by young British acts, Frankie & the Heartstrings among them.
The Sunderland fivepiece – led by singer Frankie Francis – has benefited from Collins’ insight and inspiration, his work on the band’s debut album, Hunger, cementing the group’s reputation as creators of prime British pop in a lineage that includes their producer’s former band as well as the Redskins and Dexys Midnight Runners. Indeed the album, released in the UK last month on their own label Pop Sex Ltd via Wichita Recordings, underlines the fact that while the Heartstrings are undoubtedly an indie rock band, they’re also an indie rock band that possesses a rare soul.
In fact, all you need to do is take one look at Hunger‘s sleeve – depicting a bunch of grimacing 1980s street urchins that could be the band had they met each other as kids (they formed in 2008) – to realize that Frankie & the Heartstrings are a cocksure proposition. Their music reflects as much, the pop smarts of opener “Photograph,” thrust of “Ungrateful,” and the lovelorn lyricism of “Tender” (inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender Is the Night) boasts a swagger alongside a sense of emotional angst. Neither of these qualities has been lost on crowds as diverse as the fans of Florence & the Machine and their hometown pals the Futureheads, both of whom they’ve supported in the last few years.
The Heartstrings – the lineup of which is completed by guitarists Michael McKnight and Mick Ross, drummer Dave Harper, and bassist Steve Dennis – are a definite antidote to the so-called “landfill indie” which flooded England in the late Naughties. Long may their unbridled, bequiffed romanticism continue to flourish.
Two further Mojo Brit picks for Saturday:
Pete & the Pirates Dot Com Day Stage, 1pm
Mount Kimbie Barcelona, 11pm
This article appears in March 18 • 2011.