Frankie & The Heartstrings
Stereo, Glasgow
06/10/2010

Elastic-limbed frontman Frankie Francis is braced for a wardrobe malfunction, all of his jumping about has put the zip of his skinny jeans in danger of bursting. And he hops on his left leg so much that The Fly fears for the state of his knees. But we reckon he’ll survive, as he and his band dish out a short sharp set tonight full of energy and vigour.

One of the many highlights ‘Tender’ sees the singer drop in some Mike Leigh references while wiping his flopped quiff out of his eyes and recounting tales of break ups and make ups. Scott Walker is used as a chat up line in ‘Photograph’, and when he dares himself to kiss the object of his affection it’s not teenage angst being expressed, more the thrill of youth. ‘I Wrote This Song With You In Mind’ is dedicated to all the Glasgow bands that inspired the Heartstrings to make music; their most obvious debt is to Orange Juice and Postcard Records. Indeed they have even “kidnapped” Edwyn Collins’ son Will so he can man their merchandise stall.

Frankie & The Heartstrings are a complete composite of their heroes, you can see The Smiths and Dexy’s as well as the aforementioned Glaswegians, but with such an array of influences it’s impossible for them not to have developed an excellent pop sensibility as well as a visual style that makes them appear to have just stepped out of a Kitchen Sink Drama. And ‘Hunger’, which sees Frankie get down into the crowd, demonstrates a real penchant for yelping shared with fellow Sunderland band The Futureheads.

They are perhaps yet to prove themselves fully, but finale ‘Fragile’ has moments of poetry – a relationship has become “blackened and shattered”- that stand out amidst the clamour. It ends with Frankie bashing out a rhythm on the huge metal ventilation pipe that stretches above Stereo’s stage and leaves an audience eager to find out what this energetic band are going to come up with next.

Lucy Brouwer