Polaroid Fame

Polaroid Fame may hail from the laidback surfing Mecca that is Byron Bay, but this is not another acoustic rootsy band singing about the ocean.
This quintet of talented musicians is not so easy to pigeonhole. Their inventive sound is a fresh, unique offering to the thriving local music scene.
Songwriter and lead singer Frankie Kimpton, acknowledges that “soon after the band formed I bought a second-hand chorus pedal and it was one of those defining moments where I realised our musical direction”.
The catchy upbeat tunes on their most recent EP Another place to live offer the listener pop-rock hooks and lashings of electric riffs. There are also snatches of early 80’s Sunnyboys in the instrumentation juxtaposed with Kimpton’s gentle vocals. Throw in a little of The Police and more recent references to U2 and The Cure and you will have the beginnings of what Polaroid Fame are about.
But this is no derivative simulacrum of bands gone by – these former music school students are treading an alternate path of their own.
Polaroid Fame’s passion and drive has seen the band build a steady fan base in the local music scene and their latest EP has scored airings on Triple J and on community radio 4ZZZ, FBi and RRR.
After working for a few years in various jobs that failed to pique his interest Frankie enrolled in the Northern Rivers Conservatorium in 2005. He never looked back. Through his study he was almost forced into song writing and his creative side was unleashed.
It was at The Con he met bassist Mitchel Hill and the duo formed the core of ‘The Frankie Band’ in 2005. Frankie’s childhood friend Damian Watts weighed in and not long after joined drummer Chris Johnston and wife Zoe Kimpton ... They began playing for friends and family and eventually at local venues. Audiences were listening in and as the band steadily built their popularity. However, they soon changed their name to Polaroid Fame, which they felt held a stronger relevance to their new musical direction.
Renowned producer Anthony Lycenko (Pete Murray, The Beautiful Girls and Elvis Costello) produced their latest EP “Another Place To Live” and is set to record Polaroid Fame’s next single "Facing Extinction" which is due for release June 2008.
The upbeat edge of the songs belies an introspective, moodier side of Kimtpon’s songwriting. Tracks like Done before deal with the monotony of routine and the pointlessness of a life without passion. The EP’s title track Another place to live looks at the power of change, and the opening new doors to new perspectives on life. Kimpton’s songwriting also flirts with idea of going back in time and reliving moments long since past.
Polaroid Fame’s pared-back delivery and Kimpton’s warm vocals reveal an honest charm that draws listeners in.
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