On a crisp November evening in Leeds, with the frost hugging the windows, the O2 academy was rammed for the Fratellis gig…back in 2008. That is harsh, it was actually a good sized crowd with a surprising mix of fresh faced young teens, mid twenty-somethings and ‘the older audience’ which made for a delightful cocktail of appreciation, enthusiasm and toe-trampling. From the moment of being on stage John Fratelli could sense most of us were there for anthems from the ‘Costello Music’ album so he agreed (rather willingly I may add) to play one song from that album for every new tune off their new one ‘We Need Medicine’. And I dare I say no one was ‘Creeping up the Backstairs’ during their set. In fact I had ‘Henrietta’ on speed dial to tell her, along with ‘Baby Fratelli,’ how electric the set was! With the amount of moshing taking place in the front right of the stage I am flabbergasted that I didn’t return to my humble abode with a ‘Flathead’ or a ‘Chelsea Dagger’ in my back (yes, I may have got a tad carried away in pit…guilty). I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Seven Nights Seven Days’ and not just because it gave me the chance to catch my breath back. Unsurprisingly, the crowd went bananas when ‘Henrietta’ was played and there was actually a bit of banter between the band and the crowd between song breaks – never before have I witnessed the Scottish ensemble or any quartet react so wonderfully to banter about the aircon in a venue. Odd humour aside, everyone left the gig with a smile on their face, as nothing is more fun than jumping around to classics with your mate on your shoulder shouting with a harsh hoarseness ‘it’s one for the Dagger and another for the one you believe!!’

Jamie Crummie