Frankie & the Heartstrings / Those Dancing Days - Heaven, London - 21/02/11
4/5
By: Krystina Nellis
The NME Awards shows are always a great excuse to see bands on the cusp of superstardom right before they get massive, develop gigantic drug habits and start demanding riders of only blue M&M's. Tonight was no exception, but thankfully the bands on offer have enough talent and personality on show to not need such clichés.
Opening act Those Dancing Days, for the uninitiated, are a Swedish, all-girl pop act who thankfully seem to have never come across the Britney-clone factory their country is so well-known for. Storming through gems such as ‘Run Run’, every single one of them bounces around the stage, quite honestly looking like lunatics but not caring one jot about it. They’re a joy to watch and we can only hope second album ‘Daydreams and Nightmares’ will bring them back to our shores more often.
Headliners Frankie and the Heartstrings, on the other hand, are a whole different beast. Classic Northern rock-poppers, the band storm through debut album ‘Hunger’ with the air of those who already know they’re onto a winner. As it’s the day of the album’s release, there’s a definite feeling of jubiliation in the air. Particular stand-out tracks include ‘It’s Obvious’, performed with all the lusty swagger of Jagger or Cocker. Those Dancing Days are young girls, I think they should probably watch out for these fellas…
Captivating frontman Frankie Francis struts about the stage like a man possessed. A potential reason for why soon comes to light, albeit in slightly icky form: ‘I’ve not eaten in 3 days an’ I’ve not stopped shitting!’ Adrenaline will get you very far, even on no food and, er… fumes, I guess. Not a stage I would want to be on, fun though it looks.
A rather good-looking boy, but also very good-natured, the highlight of Francis’ evening appears to come early on when he discovers that the band have been gifted a 2-litre bottle of Lilt. Yes, Lilt, which last existed in 1991. That said, the true delight of realising that ‘this is by far the most people we’ve ever played to’ is written all over his face throughout the gig.
In the grand scheme of things, Frankie and the Heartstrings’ music is nothing new; it’s nostalgic rock’n’roll that would fit in well anywhere between The Kinks and last week. Where the fun lies is in the performance: already gaining a formidable reputation as an awesome live act, the band prove it’s well and truly deserved. Even it has come at the expense of Frankie’s bowels and Lilt.
Tickets courtesy of Boxfresh, sponsors of the NME Awards www.facebook.com/BoxfreshUK
Artists in this article: Those Dancing Days, Frankie and the Heartstrings
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment