It’s hard to believe that it’s 17 years since a little known indie rock band from Glasgow took the UK charts by storm with a hit debut album and two monster singles.
Named after the surname of the villainous family featured in 1985 cult film, The Goonies, The Fratellis formed in 2005 with each member adopting a stage-name pseudonym to reflect that name.
And so, the trio – made up of Jon Fratelli (born John Lawler), bass guitarist Barry Fratelli (Barry Wallace), and drummer Mince Fratelli (Gordon McRory) – were on their way.
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Signed to Fallout Records, the band’s first record was met with critical acclaim, peaking at No2 and spawning famous tracks including Chelsea Dagger and Whistle for the Choir, which reached No5 and No9 in the singles chart respectively.
(Image: Daily Record)
Such was its success, the band scooped the Brit Award gong for Best British Breakthrough Act in 2007, following it up with a second top five album, 2008’s Here We Stand.
Success came at a price, however, as it does with many bands consigned to the confined space of a tour bus for months on end.
For arguments followed, with lead singer Jon telling Riff Magazine: “It just caused a lot of tension. We, or at least I, didn’t deal with that tension very well. I felt like the only thing to do was run away in the opposite direction.”
(Image: UGC)
Four further albums later following a reconciliation, however, the band looks unrecognisable from its noughties heyday.
Lead singer Jon, once famed for his curly locks has arguably undergone the biggest image change.
He recently told the Sun that the band has vowed to “go green”.
“You have two options,” he explained. “One is to simply say that you’re just not going to tour any more because it’s impossible not to produce carbon emissions on the road.
(Image: PA)
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“When we’re playing in the UK you need a bus, a truck and a trailer, then when you’re abroad you also need to add 12 to 15 flights for the crew to that list too. It all adds up.
“So instead we’re going to tour and our carbon emissions will be audited. By the end of the tour there will be a figure. And then basically farmers around the world will plant hemp in quantities that not only undoes the damage caused by our emissions but takes it beyond that.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
