Frente! at Triple R Performance Space, Melbourne (August 15, 2025)

I love Frente!, the folk-pop from Melbourne. The first time I heard “Labour of Love” on MTV’s 120 Minutes, I was in love, as I previously mentioned.Why I love the song so much is just the Australian slangs and wording in this descriptive song… which may or may not describe singer Angie Hart and their guitarist Simon Austin (“the on-again, off-again boyfriend”).

Some samples of the slangs, like “Are you playing hard?” is short for playing hard-to-get? This is followed by the line “Are you waiting just to quietly clock my card?” That literally translate to clocking out for the day at work… or could it mean getting a notch on their belt?

The song was included on their debut 1991 EP, but was re-released as a proper single in 1994, to promote their debut album Marvin the Album. The band didn’t last very long, by 1998, they broke up, having only released two albums.

Why the breakup? You can tell that singer Angie Hart was in a relationship with their guitarist Simon Austin. During 1996, when Frente went on tour with Alanis Morissette, Hart met Morrissette’s guitarist Jesse Tobias. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because he is Morrissey’s guitarist since 2014 (replacing Alain Whyte).

Tobias and Hart married and went on to form Splendid… ultimately, leaving Frente behind. Without Hart on vocals, there was no Frente.

Anyway, it seems things are still on good terms with Hart and Austin, as the band got together for the 21st Anniversary of Marvin the Album.

Recently, as part of the kickoff for Triple R’s Radiothon: Digging Deeper on August 15, 2025, the group played a show for the Australian radio station. The event was hosted by Tim Thorpe, at the Triple R Performance Space, in Melbourne.

You can listen to the stream via rrr.org.au.

After the show, there’s an interview with the band. Really worth a listen if you love Frente.

Photo courtesy of Jem King