The Frank and Walters

The Frank and Walters

The Franks performing in Cork in September 2009
Background information
Origin Cork, Ireland
Genres Rock, alternative rock
Years active 1990–present
Labels Setanta (1991)
Go! Discs (1992)
Fresh Indie Frontal Attack Records (2005)
Website Fan Site
Members
Paul Linehan
Ashley Keating
Kevin Pedreschi
Cian Corbett
Past members
Niall Linehan

The Frank and Walters are an alternative rock band from Cork city in Ireland. The band was founded in 1990 by Paul Linehan (vocalist/bassist), his brother Niall Linehan (guitarist), who was replaced by Kevin Pedreschi in 2004, and Ashley Keating (drums). They took the band name in honour of two eccentric Cork characters.[1] Cian Corbett joined on keyboard duties in 2005.[2]

Contents

Career

Signing for the Setanta label in 1991,[3] the group debuted with the album EP1, and the lead track Fashion Crisis Hits New York became an indie hit.[4] The follow-up EP EP.2 was released soon after, which was followed by the band's signing to the Go! Discs label where The Franks partnered with producer Edwyn Collins to record the Happy Busman EP. They found success in the UK, and following a tour in support of Carter USM, an Ian Broudie remix of the LP song After All reached the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at #11, and it also peaked at #5 in the Irish chart.[3] The group appeared on BBC Television's Top of the Pops in support of the single.

After a long sabbatical, the group returned with The 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.[5] 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, and released a retrospective triple album, Souvenirs, in October 2005. Its most recent album, Renewed Interest In Happiness, was released on 27 October 2006. The band returned to the charts in 2010 by releasing a comeback single entitled The Parson, as part of their "Seasonal Single Releases" project, which saw the band release a single per season. The Parson launched as the spring season single, with Let it Out following in the summer, The Clock in the autumn, and a Christmas-themed Song For A Future Love in December.

Together with The Sultans of Ping FC and Power of Dreams, the Franks (as they are known by fans) played a number of co-headlining shows as part of the "Reverberation Tour" in December 2010.[6][7] They also toured several festivals in 2011, including Vantastival[8] and Indiependence.[9] The band returned to the studio in August 2011 to work on a new album - planned for release in October 2011.[10]

Discography

Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles

References

  1. ^ "Discogs.com - Frank And Walters". http://www.discogs.com/artist/Frank+And+Walters,+The. Retrieved June 25, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa - Graduates - Cian Corbett". http://www.csn.ie/htms/perf/pages/cianc.htm. Retrieved June 25, 2011. 
  3. ^ a b "frankandwalters.net/biography". http://www.frankandwalters.net/biography.html. Retrieved June 25, 2011. 
  4. ^ "Trains, Boats And Planes was a ... hit, with singles like ‘Fashion Crisis Hits New York’ ... (in) the top ten". Hot Press. 26 May 1999. http://idiot-dog.com/simple-times/text/HotPress990526.html. 
  5. ^ Hennessy, Caroline (21 August 2002). "The Frank and Walters - Best Of...". RTE. http://www.rte.ie/arts/2002/0821/frankandwalters.html. Retrieved June 25, 2011. 
  6. ^ MEG.ie - Irish bands reunite for The Reverberation Tour
  7. ^ InDublin.ie - The Reverberation Tour Live at The Academy
  8. ^ Vantastival Lineup - April 2011
  9. ^ The Indiependence Festival: Day By Day
  10. ^ Frankandwalters blog - 5 August 2011
  11. ^ a b c d e Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 212. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 

External links