The Frank and Walters

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The Frank and Walters are a pop / rock band from Cork, Ireland.

[edit] Career

Founded in 1990, the group (named in honour of two eccentric Cork characters)^[1] are Paul Linehan (vocalist/bassist), his brother Niall Linehan (guitarist) (replaced by Kevin Pedreschi in 2004) and Ashley Keating (drums).

Signing to the Setanta label in 1991,^[2] the group debuted with album EP1, and the lead track "Fashion Crisis Hits New York" became an indie hit.^[3] The follow-up album EP.2 was quickly forthcoming.

Shortly after signing to the Go! Discs label, The Franks partnered with producer Edwyn Collins to record the Happy Busman EP. Success in the UK was not far away, and following a tour in support of Carter USM, an Ian Broudie remix of the LP song, "After All" reached the top twenty in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 11.^[2]

After a long sabbatical, the group returned with Grand Parade (with contributions from Gus Dudgeon), and the Indian Ocean EP in 1997. This was followed with Beauty Becomes More Than Life in 1998 and Glass in 2000. Setanta released a well received "Best of" in 2002.

In 2004 Niall Linehan left and was replaced by a friend of the band, Kevin Pedreschi. The band signed a new deal with FIFA Records in Ireland, and released a B-sides triple album, Souvenirs, in October 2005.

The band also released a new album, Renewed Interest In Happiness, on 27 October 2006.