The Fratellis

The Fratellis Artistfacts

  • 2005 - 2012
    Jon FratelliGuitar, Vocals2005 -
    Barry FratelliBass2005 -
    Mince FratelliDrums2005 -
  • The Fratellis take their name from a family of fugitives in Stephen Speilberg's 1985 adventure film The Goonies. In a 2006 interview with Contact Music, bassist Barry sarcastically insists that "Fratelli" is his last name, though all three members adopted it as stage names (Singer Jon was born Lawler; Barry was born Wallace; and drummer Mince was born Gordon McRory).
  • The band's biggest hit, 2006's "Chelsea Dagger," became very popular at sporting events. The track was used to celebrate goals by the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. 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 stayed in the UK top 100 for 83 weeks and sold over 1.5 million copies.
  • The British actor and comedian Karl Pilkington provided voice over work for commercials promoting the band's second album Here We Stand.
  • The band went on hiatus in 2009. Soon after, Jon 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. He has recorded a follow up album, Bright Night Flowers, but it is thus far unreleased.
  • In 2011, during the band's hiatus, Barry joined Birmingham indie rock band the Twang, before leaving in August 2012 to rejoin The Fratellis.
  • The band's 2013 comeback album We Need Medicine became their first record not to breach the UK top 20, reaching #26.
  • Their third single "Whistle for the Choir" was supposedly titled "Knickers in a Handbag" before the record label forced them to change it.
  • 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 us. "In saying that, we had a very good time and the band were as nice as could be."

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