More than 30 years after they took the world of Australian music by storm, Melbourne indie-pop icons Frente are hitting the road to celebrate the anniversary of their iconic debut record, Marvin The Album. Set to do a full lap of the map in May/June this year, the tour will kick off with a hometown show at Corner Hotel on May 6, before moving to Oxford Art Factory (Syd), The Zoo (Bris), The Gov (Adl), and finishing up at Badlands in Perth on June 10, with supports from Sally Seltman in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, and Lo in Perth.
May 6 | Corner Hotel | Melbourne
May 25 | Oxford Art Factory | Sydney
May 26 | The Zoo | Brisbane
June 9 | The Gov | Adelaide
June 10 | Badlands | Perth
First forming in the late ‘80s around the core duo of Angie Hart and Simon Austin, Frente gained a following for their quirky, catchy, and dreamlike compositions, living up to Simon’s own description of the group as “pop that doesn’t know any better”. Following the release of their 1991 EP Whirled, Frente signed with Mushroom Records, and swiftly gained widespread attention for 1992’s Clunk EP, which hit the top three on the Australian charts, eventually going Gold. Mere months later, in November 1992, Frente would up the ante once more, sharing their debut full-length effort, Marvin The Album, with the world.
Almost immediately, Frente became a household name throughout Australia and the wider world. Singles such as ‘Accidently Kelly Street’, ‘No Time’, and ‘Ordinary Angels’ received widespread airplay, while the record would go on to reach #5 in Australia, #4 in New Zealand, and top the US Top Heatseekers chart ahead of an eventual Platinum certification in their home country. Before long, Frente were everywhere, touring internationally, playing alongside the likes of Counting Crows, The Beautiful South, and Alanis Morissette, and even appearing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in the US.
Now, following a 21st birthday celebration (and reissue) of Marvin The Album in 2014, Frente! are set to honour the record’s pearl anniversary with an Australian tour which will see them playing the album in full across the country. “It has been my dream to be a ‘lifer’ in music and hitting a milestone like this while still practising our craft is fulfilment personified for me,” says Angie of the achievement.