Allow Us To Be Frank: Interview with The Frank And Walters

I think if you don’t come out of making an album with your head fucked up in some way then you’re not doing your job. We’ve all come out of this a bit fucked up so that’s good,” says Paul Linehan.

The Frank and Walters frontman is seated in Dublin’s P Mac’s bar with colleagues Ashley Keating and Rory Murphy. The topic for discussion is latest outing Songs For The Walking Wounded, by their own admission the band’s most personal statement to date.
“Every one of the songs deal with the fact that we are either wounded mentally, physically or spiritually,” explains Paul. “So many people are afflicted with anxiety and depression and they can’t talk about it.”
“We live in a world that is much more stressful than years ago. It’s much more complex,” he continues. “The internet changed everything and telecommunications, everyone is constantly contactable. I think people have become addicted to iPhones. People are suffering from anxiety and depression with the stresses of modern-day living; no one is honest about it. We hide it.”
“Certainly my generation doesn’t talk about anything negative,” nods Ashley. “It’s always, ‘You’ll be grand, let’s have a few pints’. We really noticed that with Cian and Rory who’re in their thirties, they talk about things. It’s a real eye-opener having them in the band.”
The Cork luminaries’ seventh album for the most part deals with such pressing issues, but given the act’s predilection for wry humour and sharp observation, there are also lighter moments. Excellent single ‘We Are The Young Men’ is a fine example.
“Well, it’s actually me trying to understand young people,” says Paul. “It’s me saying to myself, ‘Okay Paul, they might be doing stuff you don’t agree with now, but you were young and don’t forget that.’ I was putting myself in their shoes and saying, ‘We’re gonna make mistakes, we’re gonna be a pain in the arse, we’re gonna make noise.’ Every generation does it.”
“There’s also a bit of frustration,” adds Ashley. “As musicians, obviously the young bands on the block will get all the attention, that’s the way the industry is and we understand that. When you are an older band and you’re trying to express yourself, it can be difficult making yourself heard.”
“We’re on the go now for 26 or 27 years,” continues Paul. “We still write good songs. We have a lot to say but there’s a generation that won’t listen to us because we’re older. It can be a bit frustrating because I probably would’ve been guilty of it myself when I was younger.”
“I suppose though that frustration does give you an edge, because if you’re going up on stage and everything’s rosy then you’ve nothing to prove,” states Ashley.
‘We Are The Young Men’ also features vocals from up-and-coming Cork artist Jack O’Rourke. As Fifa Records head honcho, Ashley is ideally placed to give us a snapshot of the dynamic music scene in the People’s Republic.
“Jack is an incredible talent,” he says. “There’s a real buzz in Cork at the moment. There’s a bit more money around so people are buying more records, which is great. In terms of the label, we’re working with August Wells at the moment which is brilliant and The Vincents too, who are nearly finished their debut album.”
Another vocal contribution on the album comes from long-time Franks fan Cillian Murphy.
“He came to a gig of ours in London and brought his kids, it was their first gig! They’ve become big fans, the kids. Like they want us to play at their weddings and all! And he came to see us play at Songs From A Safe Harbour and he brought his kids along to that again. But he told us he has been a big fan all his life,” explains Paul.
“When it came to this album the song ‘Stages’ needed a spoken-word part,” Paul explains. “I was going to do it but then I thought it would be better if someone else did. I asked Cillian and he said to send it to him and if he liked it he’d do it. We’re absolutely delighted that he did because he did an amazing job.”
All agree this is their most personal creative statement to date. “We ended up having a real emotional connection to these songs. You could argue some better songs were left off the album but these ones seemed to mean the most,” says Paul.
“Yeah we’ve got songs left over and they’re completely pop songs. We can write choruses at the drop of a hat,” adds Rory.
“For the first time we were able to express ourselves completely, we took a much more hands-on approach to production. My girlfriend did the artwork too. We’re really happy and we’re really proud,” states Paul.
And so they should be.