Make A Date With The Frames


Shepherds Bush Empire, 25th November, 2005

Arguably one of the finest rock bands in the world is set to make a rare live UK appearance at the Shepherds Bush Empire on the 25th November, 2005. We strongly recommend that you make a vivid red note in your diary to book tickets now as they are sure to be sold out weeks before the performance.

As editor of this magazine I have seen literally hundreds of rock bands perform, and it’s live performance that strongly influences my selection of the best bands on earth. Two bands top my list of favourites and the first one will hardly surprise you. Radiohead’s show at Manchester’s Carling Apollo a couple of years ago finally cemented my view that it is the world’s finest rock band. Thom York has never been in finer form, the instrumental performances were mind-blowing, and the songs… However, as good as the band is there is one key element that was missing, and that was total audience involvement. There existed a subtle barrier between the band and audience. Not so with my other favourite band, the Frames.

I first saw the band perform live following the release of their brilliant 1999 album DANCE THE DEVIL. The show at the tiny Picket venue in Liverpool is still my favourite ever live gig. The band performed in front of a small audience who didn’t know them or their songs from Adam. At the scheduled end of the show the band were forced to perform more songs after seeking permission from the venue’s management. Curfew went out of the window and when the band was finally done the audience flocked to the stage to shake hands and hug band members. And that’s what makes the Frames so unique. Combine this with rock’s finest front man and song writer, Glen Hansard; highly skilled musicians who play as one of the most harmonious bands I have witnessed; and you have something rather special.

No matter how good a band is performing live, if the songs are not up to standard then it will never be a great rock band. In my experience the Frames is the only band I know that has consistently released fabulous albums – seven in total. In 2001, after many years (with a short break in the early 90’s when Hansard appeared in the movie THE COMMITMENTS) of hard graft, the band finally struck gold when its forth album FOR THE BIRDS flew to the top of the Irish album chart and stayed there for months. The band had finally decided to go the independent recording route after bad experiences with Island and ZTT that saw great albums go virtually unnoticed around the world, especially here in the UK. The band’s latest worldwide tour is to promote the latest brilliant album BURN THE MAPS released earlier this year.

So, get that diary out and make a date with the Frames on the 25th November at The Shepherds Bush Empire in London. Once you’ve seen the show, you’ll want to do it all over again – and that’s a promise! In the meantime if you want a flavour of a Frames show buy the band’s live album SET LIST that showcases some of the band’s best songs performed in Dublin.

ED