Frankie And The Heartstrings, Silver Screen.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford Monday 26th January 2015.

Gigs on a Monday are extremely rare at Esquires. Indeed, the venue has to be opened specially for the occasion. Now in it's second year (although this is a first for Bedford), this evening's show is held to celebrate Independent Venue Week. Now more than ever the small establishments are fighting to stay alive. With big shows and festivals taking all the headlines, it is at the grassroots level that is the natural lifeblood of developing new talent. Things are tough and tonight is a chance for the gig going folks of Bedford to show their support for our local premier music venue. Indie darlings FRANKIE AND THE HEARTSTRINGS from Sunderland are booked to play and tickets were priced in advance at the ridiculously low price of £2. Thankfully, to everyone's credit, Esquires has been blessed with a healthy turnout. The band are embarking on a week long tour of smaller venues around the country. To speed them on their way they are travelling from place to place in a smart Vauxhall Vivaro van (the company are generously sponsoring this worthy campaign).

Since forming back in 2008, the band have enjoyed successful album sales and countless festival appearances. Many high profile gigs are also on their impressive CV. To whoops of delight the five piece take to the stage and immediately ask the crowd to take three steps closer and everyone seems more than happy to oblige. In frontman Frankie Francis they have a flamboyant and irrepressible spokesman. He chats between songs to inform and amuse. He tells of their band arriving yesterday and staying in the prestigious Swan Hotel. The fellas truthfully concede that it was "so much better than a Travelodge"! Apparently, while there they met some interesting people and that they were also "groomed by a paedophile"! Frankie admits that Mondays are not the easiest of evenings to get fully motivated for a gig, but his constant cajoling seems to work on the initially reticent punters, although FATH reveal that their drummer is "the best coaxer".

Their music can best be described as earthy, Northern working class pop. They contain some wholesome, thick as treacle Mackem accents. This is a band that specifically specialize in a rose tinted, sepia tinged guitar sound which owes a big nod to the eighties. Mr Francis takes his image and inspiration from Morrissey. He continually sweeps back his longish fair coloured fringe and cuts a svelte figure with an arm that is sometimes camp and close to the hip. "Save it for tonight" garners the first rapturous round of applause. The people know it, love it and savour every magical musical morsel. The band do have a healthy sense of humour. I suppose it is normal and natural for those that hail from the North East part of the country (except if your name is Sting or Ferry perhaps), "Sun-land" that is. They reveal that work is underway for a new record, "Think yourself lucky" everyone. They gently tease a member of the crowd with an iPhone request before launching into their most familiar song, "Hunger". The crowd naturally join in with the "oh oh oh's" and clap loudly. The song tells of the joy and the collaborative spirit of being in a band. These northerners may look upon Bedford as being far from home but they are only too happy to meet and greet everyone at the end of the show. With the first night of the tour successfully completed the lads can retreat to the van. Frankie can relax!

SILVER SCREEN are the local opening support. As on their previous visits they bring a large number of fans with them. Once again they fail to tell us what they are called. Gentlemen, you may be known to your friends and family, but not to the vast majority of those attending tonight. This quartet offers lashings of indie crooning. As a whole, the set is a soft spoken affair with songs that politely ask to enter your ears. Steadfastly refusing to break a sweat, the band gleefully jangle along with some doleful melodies, seemingly designed to elicit empathy and emotional honesty. Very MOR pop, they reach a peak with "Five day war"; so much so that their drummer smashed his snare. Silver Screen finish off with two recently recorded songs, namely "Seratonin" and "Hard to get".