The chances are many of you have not heard of Franko Fraize. He’s not in the charts, hasn’t got many releases under his belt and has yet to have an extensive touring history. Despite this, having just finished playing with cult indie rockers The Enemy, he landed a support slot opening up for Reverend and the Makers at the Rock City on Thursday 3rd December, and he did not disappoint!
Having heard the comparisons with artists such as Mikill Pane and Wretch-32 before the gig, it didn’t take much before I began to agree, as he handled the pressure of holding the opening slot in a venue as big as Rock City with aplomb. I personally had had my doubts as to how a self-confessed grime artist would be received by a crowd there to watch an indie rock band (with followers of ‘Rev’ notorious for their passion for particular genres of music. However, those in attendance appeared to respond well, starting slowly but gradually increasing in their level of engagement and interaction as the half-hour long set progressed. The highlight was undoubtedly ‘Oi Oi!’, Fraize’s most famous song (and, I confess, the only one I completely recognised..). However, the one certainty from this short, support set was that Franko Fraize is someone people will be hearing more from in the coming years.
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