They don’t make ’em quite like Frankie And The Heartstrings any more. The band are currently unsigned, but are courting interest everywhere they go.
And it’s easy to see why. Indebted to a lineage of vintage indie bands like Pulp, Orange Juice and The Smiths, they make retro-romantic anthems full of swooning and crooning that impressed Florence Welch so much, she even asked the fledgling group to support her on her recent tour.
Sharp of tongue and big of heart, The Heartstrings find inspiration in the kitchen sink realities of daily life and list Charles Bukowski and director Mike Leigh amongst their influences. They also have a special place in their heart for TV maestro Phil Redmond. “Just the look of Brookside,” says Frankie. “Muted, soggy colours, the red brick new town estates where most of us and our peers grew up, says so much about where we’re from and what we are (or don’t want to be).”
Words by David Renshaw
Where? Sunderland
What? Indie
Unique Fact: Guitarist Pete Gofton is TV presenter Lauren Laverne’s brother and was in the band Kenickie with her.
Get 3 songs: ‘Hunger’, ‘Fragile’, ‘Tender Is The Night’
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Get Frankie And The Heartstring’s ‘Possibilities’ as part of Clash Magazine’s Ones To Watch 2010 download album HERE.
