The Fratellis are a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland that formed in 2005. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, bassist Barry Fratelli, and drummer Mince Fratelli. Live performances have included contributions from Will Foster who has played keyboards with the band since 2008 and previously provided guitar during the Here We Stand tour in 2008-2009.
Origins and Early Years (2005-2006)
The band formed in early 2005 through a musician’s wanted advert placed in some local music shops around Glasgow by Mince. Jon would stumble upon the advert and after attempting to contact Mince (who had listed the advert under Graeme to avoid detection of his then-band mates), eventually got through and would then go on to recruit Barry and a drummer by the name of Chris, thus forming the Fratellis. Jon and Barry would later sit in a bar all day in Glasgow and during that conversation they chose the band name the Fratellis (inspired by the criminal family in The Goonies) and named their debut album.
The band would go on to play their first official gig at O’Henry’s in Glasgow on March 4th 2005. The show completely sold out. After this show, Chris was asked to leave the band, Mince moved to the drums and the trio moved forward. The band would play a few gigs around their native Glasgow and Scotland before Mince broke his back, putting the band out of commission for a number of months while he recovered. Once Mince had recovered, the band would quickly sign to Fallout Records in late 2005. They continued to play live shows, building a reputation as a live act and would eventually record their debut EP, releasing it in April 2006. This EP featured “Creepin’ Up the Backstairs”, which featured a low budget video of the band roaming around Glasgow, earning underground buzz and would be played on the radio by Scottish DJ Jim Gellatly, who would be an early champion of the band.
Breakthrough with Costello Music (2006-2007)
After gaining traction in the UK, the Fratellis flew to Los Angeles to record their debut album with producer Tony Hoffer at Sunset Sound studios.
Released in September 2006, Costello Music debuted at #2 on the UK Album Chart and remained in the Top 100 for over 80 weeks. The album would spawn the singles “Henrietta”, “Chelsea Dagger”, “Whistle for the Choir”, “Baby Fratelli” and “Ole Black ‘n’ Blue Eyes”. Costello Music would eventually go on to become 3x Platinum in the UK, and Gold in several countries around the world.
The bands raucous performances earned them a BRIT Award in 2007 for Best British Breakthrough Act, which was voted for by BBC Radio 1 listeners. That year, they toured globally, supporting acts such as Kasabian and the Police during their huge reunion tour. Most of 2007 was spent on the road, touring heavily for their debut album before they ended their touring cycle with two of their own arena headline shows in Aberdeen and Glasgow in September 2007.
Following these shows, the band wound down and started working towards their second album.
Here We Stand and “indefinite hiatus” (2008-2009)
After spending two years away from home, the band were determined to spend some time at home in Glasgow. The Fratellis (at this stage, signed to parent label Island Records) managed to convince the label to help fund the creation of a studio in Glasgow, rather than paying for a producer, and the band would self produce their second album. Throughout the winter of 2007-2008, the band would record their second album.
They re-emerged in February 2008 to play an intimate show at Glasgow’s Queen Margaret Union, they used this show to showcase eight new songs from the new album alongside a new live member Will Foster. The first single arrived shortly after this show, in the form of “Mistress Mabel” which was given its worldwide debut by Jim Gellatly.
Here We Stand was released in June 2008 and debuted at #5 on the UK Albums Chart. The album had mixed reviews, with praise for the heavier sound and bigger production but some people missed the exuberant hooks from Costello Music. Further singles from the album were “Look Out Sunshine!” and “A Heady Tale”.
The band hit the festival circuit and played high profile festival slots at Glastonbury, T in the Park and Reading and Leeds to name a few. After playing a number of tours over 2008 and into early 2009, some tension was emerging in the band. They would go on to play a few shows in mid-2009, including playing the Island Records 50th Anniversary show where they played Costello Music in full for the first time, alongside a cover of Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up”. They then headlined their first festival at Hop Farm and then went on an indefinite hiatus, but they later revealed they had split up.
“The Hiatus” (2009-2012)
During the hiatus years, each member pursued separate projects:
Jon formed the orchestral-pop collaboration Codeine Velvet Club with Lou Hickey. The duo would release a self-titled album in late 2009 and toured the band until mid-2010. After the demise of Codeine Velvet Club, he launched a solo career. Jon released Psycho Jukebox in 2011, touring it with the help of Mince on drums and occasional guitar in his live band.
Mince started the hiatus by forming a heavy metal band called Throne o’ Diablo, playing live shows and releasing some demos (which have been lost to time), he later revealed he also joined his father’s blues band before eventually joining back up with Jon on his solo tour.
Barry worked on soundtracks for TV and film alongside DJ’ing at clubs. He also joined Birmingham-based band The Twang until 2013.
Reunion and We Need Medicine (2012-2014)
The Fratellis ended up reuniting in 2012 when Jon was booked to play a solo show to help raise money for the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund. He later explained that he had reached out to the band and asked if they fancied playing shows again. Jon would say “Life’s too short not to do what we do best”. This show would kick start the band again, and Jon was now appreciative of the audience for the Fratellis, as he’d struggled retaining one during the hiatus.
With no record label or management, they decided to proceed independently while they got back on their feet. They booked a short UK tour in September 2012 where they would debut new tracks “This Old Ghost Town” (previously played live by Jon at a solo show) and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Will Break Your Heart”.
The winter would see the band enter a studio in Glasgow with Stuart McCredie and Jon taking on production duties for the album that would become We Need Medicine, which blended rawer rock ‘n’ roll energy with a slight blues influence. The band noted that when they reunited, they leant on songs from the first album and wanted more songs they could play live, resulting in the rawer sound of the album.
The band continued playing live, unveiling more songs from the upcoming album with “Seven Nights Seven Days” and “She’s Not Gone Yet But She’s Leaving” being added to their setlists, alongside revamped versions of songs from Here We Stand. These live dates would unveiled new songs as the tour progressed, with “Too Much Wine” and “Impostors (Little By Little)” appearing on later shows, hinting that new material was coming again.
Before their final shows of their We Need Medicine tour, a surprise EP was released called The Soul Crush EP, featuring three new songs.
Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied (2014-2017)
In October 2014, the band would reconvene in Los Angeles to begin recording their fourth album with Tony Hoffer, returning to the producer of Costello Music. The band would use Instagram to tease the recording sessions, the previously revealed track “Impostors (Little By Little)” was heard being tracked by Barry during one such clip.
In early 2015, some tour dates started appearing and by June 2015, the album cycle begun properly with Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied being announced properly with the lead single “Baby Don’t You Lie to Me!” and “Dogtown” being released, following “Me and the Devil” being given away as a free track to mailing list subscribers.
The album was released in August 2015, with some small release shows in the UK before the band went on a full scale tour following. Critics noted the album had a renewed energy, and praised the maturity in the song writing. Barry also stated that the band were “tighter than ever” live and they were excited to get on the road.
After touring the album for a year, the band started teasing in 2016 new shows using artwork from Costello Music. These marked the announcement of a 10 year anniversary tour of Costello Music. The band would play the entire album live, but out of order (with a few exceptions). These shows marked the return of songs missing from the setlist for a number of years since the reunion tour.
In Your Own Sweet Time (2017-2018)
Following the anniversary tour, the band would return to Los Angeles to work once again with Tony Hoffer. The album would become In Your Own Sweet Time, which was recorded at the Hobby Shop in early 2017 and would be released in March 2018.
This album saw the band push their sound out to more playful rockabilly sound, with more introspective themes compared to their previous efforts. This album was well received by critics and fans alike, continuing building on their previous albums and evolving their sound as they mature.
The band would once again embark on a long period of touring over 2018, mixing songs from the new album in with the old ones live and playing to audiences across the world at various festivals and headline shows.
While waiting for the album to release, Jon would quietly re-record his second solo album which was scrapped due to the Fratellis’ reunion. After touring concluded for In Your Own Sweet Time, Jon would go on to release his second album and play two shows to promote it before the Fratellis would begin work on their sixth album.
Half Drunk Under a Full Moon (2019-2022)
Work began in mid-2019 in Los Angeles on the band’s sixth studio album. Tony Hoffer returned once again, with the band working in the Hobby Shop. In February 2020, the band announced their new album Half Drunk Under a Full Moon, which was scheduled for an April 2020 release date. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the band would push the album twice, eventually releasing it in April 2021.
Socially, the album marked a stylistic leap, layering lush orchestration, brass sections, backing vocals alongside Jon’s melodic song writing. The album was described as baroque pop and chamber pop. Critics would describe it as a natural evolution of the bands sound, particularly from Jon’s Bright Night Flowers album.
“Six Days In June” was released in February 2020, before the delays, which offered a sneak peak at the style of the new album. The band would remain semi-active during the lockdowns, playing a livestream performance and during the final build up of promotion would promote the album with radio sessions and promotional performances which featured a small horn section and introduced their backing vocalists The Wild Tonics.
The band would return to touring in September 2021, when restrictions had eased enough, performing some small shows in support of their road crew who had been out of work since the pandemic started. The band recorded a cover of “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” for the Chris Evan’s Breakfast show on Virgin Radio, which went viral and attracted over a million views on YouTube, the band would record a studio version of the song and it remains a live staple to this day.
In early 2021, the band would go on to record alternative versions of songs from the album alongside a few new songs to feature on a deluxe version of the album. The band would tour the album, complete with horns and tonics until the end of 2022. Following this, the band took an extended break.
Return to Live Performances (2025-present)
In late 2024, the band started to hint on social media regarding a return, with festival dates being announced during 2025 across the UK. These would be the bands first live performances since the end of the Half Drunk Under a Full Moon shows in 2022. The first show would be in the Avalon tent at Glastonbury 2025, which was seen as a triumphant return. The band would then announce their 20 Years of Costello Music tour which takes place in February/March 2026. The tour has sold out a majority of the dates and marks the first structured tour since 2022.