The Frames Burn Their Maps OnThe Way To Australia

Sat 5th Mar, 2005 in Features

This March, one of the most electric live acts in the world, Ireland’s The Frames, are set to grace Australian shores.

From small beginnings as buskers on Dublin city streets, hurdling off the back of breakneck tours of both Europe and America, The Frames are returning with a new album and a re-defined sense of self. As violinist, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, tells me from his home in County Wexford, “Our concept of success is surviving day-to-day as a band.”

The band have come along way since the dark days before the release of 2001’s For The Birds where they so nearly decided to call it a day. They sighted reasons such as overbearing record company control, lack of creative freedom and a general lack of direction before they struck out on their own. Colm is excited at the moment with how things have developed in recent years, culminating with the worldwide release of their fifth album, Burn The Maps. “It’s been a bizarre journey,” he begins, then stating very simply, “It’s nice to have the momentum”.

Colm is currently celebrating the birth of his second child at home in Ireland while the rest of the band, Glen Hansard, vocals and guitars, Joseph Doyle, bass, Rob Bochnik, guitars, ex-Mary Jane guitarist, Simon Good, and Johnny Boyle who recently sat behind the trap kit for Marianne Faithful, are rushing around the States before Colm joins them in a weeks time.

When posed with the obvious question of whether or not the band is happy with the reception their new album has received, Colm replies the he’s more than happy. For the band, on a practical level, he admits they all feel like “at fucking last”.

Burn The Maps sees The Frames delve into trademark out-and-out euphoric rock like Fake, but more importantly also sees them continue the intimacy of their last album with new songs such as Locusts and Dream Awake. Colm says, ”It would have been easy for us to make a completely euphoric album, top to bottom, but we stuck to our guns and produced the album that was within us – not what other people wanted us to make.”

While the album may sound musically more textured and complex than previous recordings, reproducing the songs live has been a joy for the band. And sensitive to the fact that they had built a solid following with songs that made up 2003’s live release, Set List, the band were conscious of not wanting to alienate the audience, but at the same time were very confident with their new offerings.

Colm says that the newer songs have all been well received and after constant touring since the albums release last year are now firmly ingrained into the live set list. I ask him how after 14 years together the band continues to draw rave reviews for their live gigs? “Playing live is a different medium. There is definitely the element of the entertainer in all of us. It’s in our nature. It comes from our days as street performers, there’s that extrovert in us all”.

Continuing, he tells me that the band, on stage, draw their energy from the crowd. And it is obvious to anyone who has seen The band live, you are experiencing an extraordinary relationship between the band and the audience. For that one night a connection exists and that weighs as a very powerful thing.

With Revelate, the band soar with anthemic passion; while Star Star is carried by the fragile vocal harmonies of Glen and Joseph; Santa Maria is all about exorcising demons live as the song explodes in a storm of distortion; and with What Happens When The Heart Just Stops you might just get lucky and Glen will tell a story before the song begins with complete delicacy.”I think that bands who don’t tour together a lot don’t stay together that long. It’s about communication,” Colm offers. He then tells me that the band hopes to get into the studio by mid-2005. “We realised there was so much material while recording Burn The Maps”.

The Frames had to choose from about 25 tracks before narrowing it down to 12 on the final cut. But they have real faith in all the material written: “Usually, the songs that don’t get onto the album have a kinda stigma about them. We’ve been able to reconcile that process”.

And promising a record that’s as uplifting as Burn The Maps is dark, can only be a great thing for the now worldwide Frames fan-base.

The Frames kick off their latest Australian tour at Byron Bay’s Blue’s & Roots Festival on March 25th. The guys then head up to The Zoo in Brisbane on the 26th, turn sharply south to be in Sydney at The Metro for the 30th, rock’n’rolling through the Prince of Wales, Melbourne, on the 31st and ending their world wind stint Down Under in Perth at the Fly by Night on the 1st April. Phew!