The Frames had a lucky escape last week when their tour bus caught fire in the early hours of the morning en route to a show in Germany.

"The tour manager was fixing snow chains to the wheels when he noticed that the bus' heater was smoking," says a band spokesman. "By the time flames started to appear, he'd woken everybody up and was able to put the fire out before it took hold. If he hadn't spotted it so early on, I hate to think what might have happened."

Meanwhile, extensive touring around the continent has paid off for The Frames where their album has made an impact in the Dutch Alternative Charts. Clocking in at Number 7, Burn The Maps has proven infinitely more popular than the likes of Feeder and Bloc Party. Way to go, lads.

Europe done and dusted, The Frames are off next week to the States to ride the wave of album success there, including a slot at the Sasquatch Music Fesitval in Washington on May 28 where they share the bill with the Pixies, Kanye West and Modest Mouse.

Accumulating their fair share of rave reviews, one of the most fulsome was penned by Billboard staffer Ron Hart who describes it as “a collection of songs that demand you attention, rife with soft/loud dynamics reminiscent of Sebadoh and Mogwai magnified to fill the lungs of a sold-out Giants Stadium.”