Primavera Interview // Frankie Rose & The Outs

Having just watched Frankie Rose in a tiny club, in front of a very animated (if someone pathetic) 30 people, we were struck by their poise, their self-assurance, and the fact that nothing seemed to put them off their stride. Despite losing first her capo, then her tambourine, they just carried on regardless. Looking like they’d just come from some 1950’s diner, Noise had the pleasure of a seat at the bar with the four lovely ladies, and despite having a list of serious questions to be asked, ended up talking about breasts. And Harry Potter. Really, it wasn’t out fault….

Noize: How does it feel to be probably the sexiest band in the line up?

Frankie: Well, Tamaryn is pretty sexy, so I don’t know.  But you wouldn’t say that if you’d seen us about ten minutes prior to the show. We were wearing three coats…

Margot: …hoods, sweatpants….

Frankie: …and H&M sweaters!

Noize: But this has got to be warmer than New York at the moment, hasn’t it?

Caroline: It’s nice here. We like it. We’re kind of sick of going places where we’re gonna be cold.

Noize: So you’ve done some shopping then?

Frankie: Yes! My favourite store in Barcelona is called Woman’s Secret. I like that store. I like the name. But I find that the bras are…strangely shaped to be perfectly honest.

Noize: Strangely shaped?

Frankie: Well, maybe my breasts are strangely shaped, I dunno. In the US we have Victoria’s Secret, but here it’s Woman’s Secret. I’m like “What could that be? What is the secret?”

Noize: Apart from shopping, what have you been doing?

Frankie: Well, we’re all still pretty jet-lagged, at least I’m really jet-lagged. I took a walk, then I actually downloaded the new Harry Potter movie.

Noize: Are you a fan?

Frankie: I’m a pretty big fan. I think we all are.

Noize: Are you happy that JK Rowling has stopped, or are you part of the clamour for her to write another one, to keep going?

Frankie: No, I think it should stop now. I don’t want to spoil the ending for anyone who hasn’t read it, but it’s a pretty good ending. True fans know what happens, but if you just watch the films, they don’t know yet. They’ve haven’t got to the end.

Margot: Knowing when to stop is a really important part of being an artist, and creating anything is all about editing, not just going on and on.

Caroline: She should just stop now. It’s great, it’s beautiful, but it’s run its course.

Noize: Why do you think there has been such an explosion in the music, and style, of the fifties. There are the bands, the clothes, the TV shows…..

Frankie: Sometimes I agree with that, and people have been going on about “Mad Men” a lot recently, but I’m not sure why it’s all happening now.

Caroline: It’s a good question, but for me, I’m reminiscent for a time when people were more elegant, paid more attention to aesthetics and living like life was art. I’m not saying the Fifties is necessarily a great example of that, I’m not sure this band could have existed back then….but I’m really grateful to be doing what we’re doing in the time we are doing it.

Noize: At least back then you could smoke and drink Martini’s with impunity…

Frankie: That’s true, but we do that anyway! As for music and comparisons, Deedee is a great friend of mine, I love her, and I remember when we were sending demos back and forth to each other, but I’m not so sure we do play the same kind of music (as Dum Dum Girls), the way everyone lumps us together.

Noize: Perhaps not similar per se, but having similar inspiration, or ideas coming from the same place?

Frankie: Right. I feel that people have been wanting a return to something, and I feel that things for a long time have been, and still continue to be, going in a direction where there is….i don’t want to say no song writing, but everything’s like A B C D E F …A. And maybe people just wanted to hear some songs, like a simple A B C…A thing. That’s what I like to hear, and that’s what moves me, so when I write a song I want it to be classic sounding, like The Beach Boys or the Velvet Underground. That’s where I’m coming from.

Noize: As an all-girl group, do you find all the guys in bands hit on you?

Frankie: Well, this is really our first trip together to a festival, with the exception of SXSW, but I’d have to say not really. We’ve never really had that. I guess nobody cares!

Margot: But it’s cool, cos it means people are evolving. We’d like to think we’ve reached a point where guys are capable of thinking with more than just their penises when they look at us, that they see us as musicians.

Frankie: Yeah, it’s not about our womanly secrets! But we’re not all girls just so we can get on some magazine cover or whatever. We require three female vocals for the harmonies, so that kinda dictates. I love these three ladies as people, but if Caroline was a man, it wouldn’t really matter. People like to make a thing about all girl bands, you know, nudge nudge wink wink, but I like to say there are a lot of all male bands out there too. What about that?

Interview by Derek Robertson

Photos courtesy of Primavera Club