The Frank and Walters, currently holders of Cork Person of the Year, have long been a staple in the Irish music scene, with their roots deeply embedded in the vibrant cultural tapestry of Cork City
Formed in Cork in 1989, The Frank and Walters is now made up of Paul Lenihan, Ashley Keating, Rory Murphy and Cian Corbett.
The band's early hits including After All and Fashion Crisis Hits New York captured the spirit of their hometown - a city full of history, character, and a unique blend of traditional and modern influences.
Speaking about their early songs and sound, Ashley says: "I think the subject matter what we used to write about was so personal and it was about people we knew, especially the early songs, nothing was ever made up, all the songs and lyrics were very honest and real, it was about where we were from, who we were meeting, and the streets where we grew up and I think that resonated with people, so our sound just happened."
On tonight's Nationwide, the band visited several sites around the city including Cork Academy of Music where Lenihan taught songwriting for a time and Crowley’s Music Shop, famed for selling a Fender Strat guitar to Rory Gallagher and is also a music mecca in Cork city for generations.
Sheena Crowley, who now runs the shop said: "My father's ethos was trust and care, and he cared about them, you get to know them over the years and you follow them and I remember my dad used to always kind of perk up when he see Paul walking through the door".
In 1993, one of their early hits led to an appearance on the TV music show Top of the Pops with their tune After All, where they met Paul McCartney. Lenihan said, in his view, The Beatles were a blueprint for songwriting. He remembers meeting Linda McCartney and she said that she could hear the influence of the Beatles in After All.
Lenihan and Keating also recount how they met a young Noel Gallagher of Oasis and gave him a job as one of their roadies while touring in the early 90s,
.svg)