Talking Shop: Jon Fratelli

The rise to fame of Glasgow band The Fratellis was rapid.

The Fratellis produced new album Here We Stand themselves

In February 2007, less than two years after playing their first gig, the three-piece picked up the best breakthrough act award at the Brits.

After taking a break from the relentless touring of first album Costello Music, the band are back with new single Mistress Mabel - and forthcoming album Here We Stand.

The band's 29-year-old lead singer Jon Fratelli talks about songwriting, success in Japan - and fibbing to journalists.

You've said that the band has a much heavier sound as result of touring for two years. How did that come about?

We made the first album before we'd really done any touring and then went on tour - that was for a year-and-a-half, two years maybe.

Something happened along the way that moulds you into the band that you're going to become rather than the band that made the first album.

You toured in April. Did you play mainly new material?

We mixed it up and, as much as there's certain things about certain songs on the last album that I didn't like, there's no way you can expect people to pay money to come to a gig and then not give them the songs they want to hear.

At this point, for us, you would never deprive people of coming to a gig and being happy with it.

You produced the new album Here We Stand yourselves. Was that scary?

It's all a bit of a whirlwind in the studio with us. You go in and get out as quick as you can Jon Fratelli

It was pretty simple, it was just the way it had to be for this album

Somebody else coming in with ideas just wouldn't have been welcome. It would just have upset everything.

In the studio, it was just us three and the engineer. It was all pretty simple and I can't even remember an argument about anything - maybe towards the end about what songs to include.

Do you think some bands need production to get up to a certain standard?

I get that but I've never felt that we needed it. Now that I can just listen to the album for fun, I know we were right - we didn't need somebody to steer it in a direction.

Somebody else being there would definitely have made it drag on a bit. When things drag on a bit, you don't get the best out of us.

Did making the album by yourselves help to explain why it only took four weeks to record?

We aren't a band that hangs about in the studio for a very long and we never have been.

Everything's written before we go in and it's learned before we go in so that we can go in and just get takes out pretty much straight away without mucking about.

It's all a bit of a whirlwind in the studio with us. You go in and get out as quick as you can.

The song Tell Me A Lie from the new album is about half-truths you've said to journalists. How many half-truths have you said to journalists today?

I'm not much into guitar bands but I never have been actually. I've never really been a fan of guys with guitars

Today, none - I'm trying to be a good lad. You tangle yourself up, man, and you end up spending the next year answering questions about the lie you've told.

I've found that the best way to avoid that is just to tell the truth, man. You'll get nothing but the truth now.

Which current artists do you admire?

I bought the MGMT album - I thought that was pretty great. And I'm a huge Bright Eyes fan.

I'm not much into guitar bands but I never have been actually. I've never really been a fan of guys with guitars.

It's weird, I've always leant towards songwriters more than bands with guitars.

Who would be in your supergroup, members can be dead or alive? Let's imagine you're lead singer.

If there was ever a supergroup, they would never have me as lead singer.

I'd have John Bonham on drums. George Harrison on guitar - I've always liked him. Elton John on piano, man. Just to make it seem more ridiculous.

What's the favourite gig that you've ever played?

The Fratellis' first album Costello Music reached number two in the UK

The one that sticks out for me was the Summer Sonic festival in Japan last year.

We had a whole baseball stadium of people in the afternoon going crazy, it's the kind of thing that doesn't slip out of your memory that easily. It blew me away.

We seem to do okay in Japan, man. We've shifted a lot of records there and we've always played to good crowds.

How often do you write songs and what inspires you?

I write a lot. I know that when you stop doing it for a while it's really hard to get back on again and takes a little bit of extra time to get back on so I'm always scribbling down little ideas and little lyrics and stuff.

Who knows what inspires you? If you're having a good day - that always helps.

I haven't written that many songs while I've been depressed - they're always when you're having a good day.

For every song that appears on an album, how many other songs do you write?

It's absolutely the greatest thing anybody ever gave to us and we ain't giving it back. It's like one big happy whirlwind

For every song that you write that works for the Fratellis, there's another song that wouldn't quite work for the Fratellis just sitting there.

I'm desperate to use those songs at some point.

I'm planning to use them maybe after we've done all the stuff for the second album.

Do you enjoy your job?

It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do since I was, like, 15.

I used to grumble about doing this but that was after a year of never being a home but I try now just to never grumble.

I get myself into trouble if I catch myself moaning about anything like that. It's absolutely the greatest thing anybody ever gave to us and we ain't giving it back. It's like one big happy whirlwind.

New album Here We Stand is out on 9 June. Jon Fratelli was talking to BBC News entertainment reporter Liam Allen.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version