The Fratellis

The Fratellis Artistfacts

  • 2005-
    Jon Fratelli (John Lawler)Guitar, Vocals2005 -
    Baz Fratelli (Barry Wallace)Bass2005 -
    Mince Fratelli (Gordon McRory)Drums2005 -
  • The Fratellis take their name from a family of fugitives in Richard Donner's 1985 adventure film The Goonies (produced by Steven Spielberg). All three members adopted the surname Fratelli, à la the Ramones (they're not related). Singer Jon Fratelli was born Jon Lawler; bass player Baz was born Barry Wallace; and drummer Mince was born Gordon McRory.
  • The band's biggest hit, 2006's "Chelsea Dagger," became very popular at sporting events. One of the many teams to use it was the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, who played it to celebrate goals. In tribute to the team's 2013 Stanley Cup victory, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra recorded an orchestral version of the track.
  • Their 2006 album Costello Music went to #1 in their native Scotland and was huge in the UK, where stayed on the chart for 83 weeks and sold over a million copies.
  • The British actor and comedian Karl Pilkington provided voiceovers in commercials promoting the band's second album, Here We Stand.
  • Their second album, Here We Stand, released in 2008, didn't go gangbusters like their 2006 debut, which caused a lot of tension in the band. It got so bad that they called a hiatus in 2009; they returned in 2012, releasing their comeback album, We Need Medicine, in 2013. "We got successful early. We were big, we broke up," Barry Fratelli explained to New Noise Magazine.
  • During their hiatus, Jon Fratelli formed Codeine Velvet Club with Scottish singer-songwriter Lou Hickey. The duo released a self-titled album, but disbanded soon after in 2010. Jon released his solo debut, Psycho Jukebox, in 2011. That year, Barry joined the Birmingham indie rock band the Twang, before leaving in August 2012 to rejoin The Fratellis.
  • After their hiatus, The Fratellis returned with a sound that was less bombastic and more nuances, incorporating blues, jazz and other influences. These aren't the stadium-rousers from their early years, but fitting for more mature listeners.
  • Their third single, "Whistle For The Choir," was originally titled "Knickers In A Handbag," a reference to the bit by the Scottish comedian Billy Connolly. That name didn't fly with the record label, but check out the artwork for the single: a woman holding knickers (underwear) over a handbag.
  • The Fratellis opened some shows for The Police in 2007. What did they learn from the experience? "It's not that easy to connect with people as the support band in a football stadium!" Jon Fratelli told Songfacts. "In saying that, we had a very good time and the band were as nice as could be."

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