The first time I saw Frank play (other than with Million Dead) was at the smallest venue in Bournemouth, 13 years later he was back to headline the biggest.
I didn’t make it in time for Grace Petrie, but was, of course, ready and waiting to see Jimmy Eat World. It’s always a novelty when one of the supports for the band you’re seeing are another of your all time favourites, who you would’ve paid to see had it been their headline show.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the sound in the venue, it’s a big old room and I’ve heard it good and bad over the years. This night it was spot on and JEW smashed out a short but sweet set.
The tour was near the end of Frank’s Be More Kind album campaign. He made a fair effort to change things up for record number 7, some of which, I’ll admit took a few listens. By the time of this gig, I’d had nine months to settle into the new material and found it to sit perfectly in the setlist alongside tracks from across Frank’s back catalogue.
The videos that accompanied singles from this album also included some interesting choices, at least two featured Frank dancing. At this show one of the dancers joined him on stage for Little Changes. I leaned over to Greg to say something along the lines of “ten years ago I’d have hated this, now I think it’s fucking great”.
Although Frank was pushing the boundaries for him, and his audience, I never got the sense that he wasn’t making anything but the music he wanted to. This wasn’t an attempt at reaching a wider audience, if it was I definitely don’t think he went the right way about that (the dancing for a start). Subsequent releases have sounded closer to home, which I think makes this unique album, and era, even more deserving of it’s place in Frank’s discography.
Liam Toms 