An Evening With Miss Frankie Rose

While some throw-a-pointy-ball game was on TV (here's a hint: football really is a game best played with the feet), those of us with a penchant for quality live music were heading off to the Echo (again - third time in five days!) for an evening in the company of some Dream Boys and Miss Frankie Rose...

Dream Boys turned in a stunning set 

With the PA sounding a thousand times better than the muddy washed-out acoustics they faced the last time I caught them play, Los Angeles' very own Dream Boys finally had the platform to deliver their infectious transatlantic blend of paisley underground-meets-West-Coast-California-meets-West-Coast-of-Scotland inspired tunes to an incredibly knowledgeable and appreciative crowd. 

From the "My-side-of-the-Pond" perspective, there's subtle hints of C86, Creation records' Teenage Fanclub, Pastels and Jasmine Minks (to name three), as well as a nod to the earlier "Sound of Young Scotland." 

If you have more than a passing interest in remarkably fresh sounding psychedelic-tinged indie-pop; all lilting guitars and tight harmonies, you really owe it to yourself to check this band and their eponymous-titled album out now.

 

Miss Frankie Rose herself

And you really need to catch Frankie Rose... Boosting a musical CV that includes stints in two of my favourite US-bands, she really doesn't need any further introduction.

Delivering a blistering set that drew heavily from 2012's critically-acclaimed "interstellar" and a taster of the guilty little pleasure that is last year's "Herein Wild", she kicked-off with full-on renditions of "The Depths" and "Know Me"; ably marshaled by Jamie, the man behind the drums, who pounded out a ferocious rhythm all evening, and bassist Scott, who was zoned into the groove.

As a crowd,  we're spoilt with fantastic renditions of "Gospel/Grace", "Into the Blue" and "Question/Reason" (seriously that song is such a grower.) Live, there's a noticeably harder edge - yet rather than detracting from, this actually complements, accentuates and adds even more depth to the swirling synthesiser-infused dreamy indie-pop that she has so expertly crafted (note to self - I hate labels). There's even some added feedback - by accident as it happens - although it has to be said that the Reid Brothers carved out a rather successful career using this technique.

A special mention has to be given to guitarist/keyboardist Drew - from what I heard on the night, she's as an important a cog in the sound that Frankie has created as Jenny Lee Lindberg and Stella Mozgawa are to Warpaint. She's a pretty mean guitarist,  expertly colouring-in the gaps and at times plucking chords so deep you'd swear it was a bass she was playing,

Arguably the set is all to brief - literally, time flew by - and despite Herein Wild's outstanding bookends "You for Me" and "Requiem" being sorely missed - what better way to end a stellar performance than an absolutely gorgeous rendition of the haunting "Interstellar"?  

As I mentioned earlier you really should check-out Frankie Rose if she's ever playing in a town near you...

Frankie Rose Live: Drew, Frankie, Jamie and Scott

Post gig, I manage to catch a few words with Frankie herself - I'm a little bit uncomfortable - given that I'm more than old enough to be her dad (ouch...) and I'm trying not to come across as star-struck (guilty as charged, M'lud) - I just wanted to be able to name-check her band in this post - but also to thank her for "Herein Wild" (yes, if you've been reading this blog you'll know it's one of my hidden gems of last year, and just for good measure "You for Me" features on the Blog's "best of" 8-track mix...) Like a good wine this album really does get better with every listen... 

And you know? She was cool with that...