Hart Burn
Angie Hart survived the great heights and depths of stardom
Cameron Adams
Herald Sun - Thursday September 2 1999
   
Angie Hart is, as she proudly claims, no longer famous. But rewind to the early 90’s and Hart fronted Frente, one of the most successful
Australian bands of the decade, selling a million copies of their debut Marvin the Album worldwide.

But for everything that went right, There were a few fatal errors. In a pop post-mortem, Frente suffered death by success. The impossibly happy Accidentally Kelly Street became their reluctant theme song, seeing them go top 10, then came an unfortunate stint on Home & Away, followed by a lampooning at the hands of comedy shows. Hart, still a teenager at the time, was singled out for mocking.

In the aftermath, Frente shed some members and recorded their second album, Shape, in Spain with Neneh Cherry’s husband producing, adding subtle technology touches to their acoustic-based sounds long before it became obligatory. Despite its vision, Shape dealt in quality, not novelty, and couldn't shake the baggage that came with simply being Frente. The band began to dissolve without ever officially splitting. 

During a tour supporting Alanis Morissette, Hart met Jesse Tobias (guitarist in the Morissette band and a former member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers). After eight months together they married, with Hart moving to Los Angeles to start a new life without Frente.

“We were still decompressing from coming off these tours; we had to pick up all the ugly pieces at the end, “ says Hart. “We’d quit our bands, moved to L.A. got married. It was scary for a while.”

“I’d been on the road for two and a half years,” Tobias says. “Angie had been on the road for three years, so we kind of went crazy together once we both stopped.”

 “We got some serious compulsive obsessive disorders happening,” Hart says.

And while they’re the first to admit it’s a cliché, they started a band together. “Marriage came first, then we dabbled in songwriting and took it slowly,” says Tobias. Hart adds: “I think it helps we’ve both had our careers before we started this band.

“We respected each other as musicians and then we got married. They’re separate. But we are learning to fight nicely.” Their band, Splendid, went through several incarnations and directions before finding it’s feet. 

“We did the whole cliched route of starting a new band, making an album, then we got caught up in what would be radio friendly, and hating ourselves, feeling we sucked,” says Hart. “Then we met (producer) Craig Ross who was a depresso-cynical muso and he helped us get the love back for it.” 

At the same time Hart was adjusting to her new life in L.A.. “ I had to get my driver’s license  -- I’d never driven before,” says Hart, now 27.

“ I had to learn to pay bills and budget my money because it didn't come in daily payments like you get on tour. All those really simple things people 10 years younger than me had already mastered. It was good for me, painful but good.”

Indeed, she now talks of her time in Frente with new optimism.     “I've been working through a lot of stuff, been doing a lot of work on myself,” Hart says like a true L.A. resident.

“We had no idea what we were in for. There was so much going on I didn't get the chance to process it. I was really emotionally immature when we had the success, I had no idea of myself, Ididdn’t believe in myself enough. I’ve started to be able to reminisce about that time. I'm making a deal with myself to enjoy it a lot more this time around, and put a lot more of myself into it.”
 
 While Frente remain friends and might work together again (“It might never happen, but it’s nice that it might”) Hart says anyone expecting to hear Labor of Love or Ordinary Angels at a Splendid show should stick to their old cd’s."

“I feel like when I'm older and do have a body of work I'll play those songs, but this is a brand new band, I'm the only link to Frente. The Breeders don't play Pixies songs and they’re much more famous than me.”

The Splendid album Have You Got a Name For It, is released in Australia later this year, with an American release next year. “It’s weird coming home to work,” Hart says. “I'm touring my hometown.”
 
Less Than Zero (Mushroom) released Sept 13. Have You Got a Name For It out Oct 11. Splendid (acoustic), Revolver, tonight.