By Joseph Douglas
“I wanna be the biggest artist in the country”- Who is Frankie Beetlestone, what makes him so good
and why will you know who he is in the coming years?
Spirited musician Frankie Beetlestone only released his debut EP in 2021. But after already
touring with Tom Grennan, he is already making his mark on the music world. Find out about how
he got into music, what they have planned for the future and how it feels to play alongside your
best mate.
“I don’t know anyone called Frankie around these ends love”.
My first attempt to contact singer/songwriter Frankie Beetlestone led me to speaking to an old Yorkshire
woman thinking it was a prank call. At the second time lucky, I’d got the right number.
From an instant, the cheeky young solo artist from Sheffield made an impression, as he has been doing in the musical world.
Reaching the last eight of the 2020 Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition, touring with Tom Grennan
and headlining sell out shows, after just one EP Frankie has made his mark.
But the recent success hasn’t come out of nowhere. So just where did it all begin?
His childhood was filled with musical influences and performing, as he explained to me.
“When I was young, I went on holiday with my family, and someone signed me up to sing ‘Hotel California’ by The Eagles on the Karaoke in this massive Irish bar, that’s how it all started really”
“80s music was always on in my house and my sister, when I was younger really pushed me to get into it”.
Worked on throughout lockdown, and released in November 2021, his debut EP, ‘Tasting the sky’ has
amassed tens of thousands of streams, but he has described it as “a product of me figuring out how to do it, it is really weird and reaching”.
He added, “those songs are basically old demos, some from when I was around 17. We put them out
around the time we went on our first tour, just so people had SOMETHING to engage with after the show.
I’m not slagging them off, they definitely have a place in my heart, but i still don’t really feel like I’ve
released my first proper single if you get me.
“This new stuff is quite different, in a good way! I’ve kind of just took my time hibernating for the past year writing, it’s an evolution thing. But now I’m ready to put some more songs out into the universe”.
We both agreed that it is hard to put a genre on his music, and it appears this has almost been done by
choice. Similar to Frank Ocean, a huge musical inspiration of his, his music takes people on a journey,
with them never quite sure what they will be listening to from one song to the next.
“People have the tendency in the industry to ask, “what do they sound like, or who are they similar to?”,
but as there’s quite an eclectic thing going on, it can be quite confusing, and for the longest time that
freaked me out, I didn’t think anyone was going to get it”
“I just think the best artists make art for themselves and the process of creating it. I’m not going to have
sleepless nights about trying to fit myself into one genre”.
And to completely contradict his comments, for the reader I will attempt to describe his mass variety of
sound. A soft, almost raw voice, often contrasting with some of the adult lyrics its speaking, playing above constant catchy guitar riffs and drumbeats that often create a trance like instrumental. It all fits together seamlessly in multiple different ways.
As usual however, it’s not just a one-man effort. Despite being a solo artist, his supporting band,
consisting of three members other members Dan, Caleb and Toby, as well as Dan’s dad Jay and Frankie’s
mum Debbie all play their part making them the success they are.
People usually say their bands feel like family, but here there is a real family element. Both Dan and Jay
Siddall share the passion of drumming, and with Dan currently being Frankie’s drummer, Jay has almost
taken on the role of mentor, as well as being their biggest supporter.
Jay said, “I’d always dreamed Dan would follow in the family’s footsteps”. A semi-professional drummer for 30 years touring the country with various bands, Jay was also Dan’s inspiration to start drumming. Dan described that “he inspired me to get on the kit and have a go at it. It wasn’t something I’d really shown interest in growing up, however after learning a few beats I was instantly hooked.
Dan had previously been in a band, but he was always interested playing with his long-time childhood
friend, and he told me that “soon after I’d taken an interest in playing the drums, me and Frankie were
quick to jump in the rehearsal room. We always spoke about headlining Leeds fest or Glastonbury and
became truly obsessed with ‘making it’ in the world of music. I want to headline Glastonbury and I won’t
settle for any less!” he joked.
This obsession with making it seems to be a running theme and driving force in the attitude of the young
band. As Frankie said to me plainly,
“I wanna be the biggest artist in the country”
He explained this passion in more detail, saying “I’m nowhere near the point I wanna get with it, I’m really
ambitious with the amount of people that I’m hoping to engage with it. I’ve always been inspired by that
mentality of putting it out there and working hard enough to get it right.”
“We did a gig in Stockton the other day, and I’d never even heard of Stockton, and there was people there that had come to see the band, it’s an amazing thing.”
“There’s always people that are going to take the piss for doing this, because you are putting yourself in a vulnerable position. You know what some lads are like, especially in Sheffield, they’ll think ‘ah that’s a bit weird’, and then think it’s a real thing because you’ve got a few thousand people waving their arms around for you.
“But for some reason when you get a shit load of people to wave their arms about, people realise a bit
more that we do take it seriously and that we’re not just sat on our arse delaying the terrifying thought of
steady jobs… or maybe they do think that, who knows. But more importantly, who cares”.
Although, having the talent and passion often means nothing without having the dedication to do it. But
Jay said he feels incredibly excited about the future, because of just how much the boys do, and have
done to get to where they are.
“I think the sky’s the limit for them. I’m very very excited. It’s just a matter of time before something big
breaks. They’ve got the right attitude. They went to Manchester to do a gig and some of them were having to carry the gear on the train. That’s how dedicated they are.”
“They went from Manchester on Friday to Glasgow on Saturday, then played London on Monday and
Dublin today. It takes some dedication that.”
On the topic of playing live, and making it in the world of music, back in September 2021 Frankie and the
band toured with star of the current British indie music scene Tom Grennan. This was a huge moment for
them, and saw them playing in front of, and impressing huge crowds up and down the country.
Beetlestone explained how “Touring with Tom was one of the most inspiring experiences I’ve ever had.
The O2 support in Sheffield of Tom was the first gig we’d played together as this outfit, with these songs. It really came out of nowhere and was a bit of a shock.”
Similarly, Dan added “The whole thing was surreal to be honest. It just wasn’t something we expected so
soon. Playing in front of that many people on our first show was scary, in a good way”.
It seems to have been an incredible journey so far for the group in such a short time, but what does the
future have in store?
“For us, it’s just trying to play as much live music as we possibly can, and in between that I’m just writing
constantly. But there will be another EP coming out this year 100%”, Frankie said emphatically.
As the interview was coming to a close, Beetlestone joked about the main struggle he had with his music,
and more interestingly the fact that it’s not actually about the music. It’s social media.
“I’m quite an old soul, so the thing I struggle with the most is social media. I’m not good at it.”
Well, at least it’s not the music that needs improvement. This hugely exciting performer, alongside his
band have already made their mark, and I’m sure it won’t be long until many more people ‘know someone
called Frankie’ around their ends.
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