THE COST was not the band’s best but certainly did not deserve the hammering it was given. However, I was concerned at what seemed to me to be a ‘compromised’ record which had been hastily created and included two songs from THE SWELL SEASON. That was 2006 and there hasn’t been another Frames album since.

The ONCE soundtrack album sold very well on the back of the film’s popular success, which in turn generated greatly enhanced sales of the original SWELL SEASON release. Then late in 2009 the second Swell Season album hit the decks. STRICT JOY was good enough to be included in our top twenty albums of 2009, but the UK media appeared to ignore it. 2009 was a year rich in great albums and if the album was released in any other previous year it would have topped our end-of-year list - it is that good. One of the key differences between the two Swell Season albums is the involvement of the Frames musicians on STRICT JOY. Colm Mac Iormaire (violin), Rob Bochnik (guitar), Joseph Doyle (bass guitar) and Graham Hopkins (drums) all played on the album which in truth sounds like a low-key Frames record (and one of it’s best at that…). ‘Low Rising’ is the first track from the album and Bochnik’s wonderful guitar work is a major feature. ‘Feeling The Fall’ is the second track and once again the band dominates with Irglova only supplying backing vocals. I mention this because it seems to me that slowly but surely the Frames are coming back into the frame (unintended pun) which for me is very welcome (and for many fans I fancy)… I’ll come back to this later.

The Manchester Lowry gig is part of The Swell Season’s (including all the Frames musicians) extensive world tour. I last saw the Frames perform at the Lowry and frankly felt it was the wrong venue for the band - it was a relatively quiet, polite, seated show that was bereft of the electric atmosphere usually created by Hansard & Co. However, I imagined that it could suit The Swell Season vibe. I almost did not attend the gig after 48 hours of a stomach bug that left me in rather a fragile state. But the thought of missing probably the only SS show in this neck of the woods in 2010 pulled me through a thankfully easy 60 mile journey to the canal-side venue.

As per usual the Quay theatre was virtually empty for the support act, The Lost Brothers, an Irish folk duo. What can I say? Pleasant vocals, lovely harmonies, good acoustic guitar work… and polite applause. Highlight of the set was the aforementioned ‘Lonesome Town’ which was performed to perfection and with great sensitivity.

The large stage was set with a huge black Steinway & Sons dominating the left side of the stage. Around the rear edge of the stage were all the other instruments leaving the main part of the stage to the two main players. As the lights dimmed two figures could be just seen making their way to stage-centre accompanied by huge applause. Without a word, Hansard and Irglova knelt on the floor, close together to play the first song, ”Fallen From The Sky’, taken from the movie - not the most inspiring start to the show but charming none-the-less with Irglova playing her ‘toy’ keyboard and Hansard crooning in her ear. Irglova then moved over to the piano that dwarfed her while Hansard smiled to the ‘fashionista’ audience and proceeded to slay us all with a magnificent, heartfelt rendition of ‘Lies’ (also from the movie), ably supported by sweet-voiced Irglova. You know, there are rare moments in music performance that stick in the mind, and this was one of them.