Tuesday 03/11/09 Frankmusik @Thekla, Bristol

Frankmusik certainly polarises like only Mika or Lady Gaga do. Abused by the cool crowd as a fabricated and soulless pop-poser, who doesn’t even have good hair, Frankmusik is scoffed at by everybody from Vice Mag to the trendiest hairdresser in Dalston. However, anyone who witnessed Frankmusik’s Thekla gig must admit that there is something special about little Vincent Frank.

Yes, I know he is somewhat detached, a bit full of himself, slightly affected and looks like a 12-year-old on ADHD medication but Frankmusik has got the tunes to justify his part Elton John/part Morrissey stage mannerisms. Opening with the superb ‘Time Will Tell’, Frankmusik’s jingly-jangly pop beats are engineered to polished perfection and within seconds he commands the crowd to join him on possibly his catchiest track 'Time Will Tell'. “I lost my girl and I lost my world” he sings, definitely picking up 23 new girls from the front row in the process. The hits don’t stop there though. ‘Confusion Girl’ is a bona-fide refined pop number that would easily win him the Eurovision Song Contest, whilst ‘When You’re Around’ is an absolute crowd-pleaser with its hijacked Stranglers beats and slightly grimey approach. ‘Better Off As Two’ and ‘3 Little Words’ come packaged as über-saccharine guilty pleasures, but live, it is quite hard to resist a smile and a boogie, especially when watching miniature Frank bouncing around the stage gesticulating like a man possessed by the spirit of the Polyphonic Spree. Yes all of them. 

Frankmusik then proceeds to cover mainstream divas Amy Winehouse and Rihanna affirming his aspirations to become the new King of Pop. Yet whilst ‘Rehab’ is lacking the vigour and intensity of its original, ‘Please Don’t Stop The Music’ is turned into a gimmicky disco-smasher with Vincent repeatedly crooning “Please don’t stop the Frankmusik”. Well at least he’s got the confidence. Ending an all-killer-no-filler set with a charmingly corny solo piano Pet Shop Boys cover, Frankmusik proves that he’s got the voice, he’s got the elusive allure and he’s certainly got the 90% female crowd wanting to get into his pants. If he now sorts out his hair and his personality, things can only look up for this miniature starlet.