Dave Hingerty, best known as a stickman with The Frames has launched the debut album from his collaborative side project Side 4 Colective. ‘We Burn Bright’ features guest appearances from the likes of Josh Ritter, Farah Elle and Bell X1’s Paul Noonan as well as a host of top session players including Robbie Malone (David Gray) and Ben Castle (Radiohead).

We Burn Bright’s 12 tracks were sculpted around drumbeats created by Hingerty with the help of Anthony Gibney – fresh from a stint in New York’s Electric Lady Studios – and a selection of vintage kits from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s.

The Who’s Pete Townsend has given the project his blessing describing it as “creative people ‘throwing paint at the canvas’ with a spirit of anarchy and first take freshness.”

“There is a lack of freedom in mainstream music today, a lack of experimentation,” says Dave Hingerty. “I am aware that my peers feel a pressure to be commercial and I wanted to encourage them away from this. I wanted to provide a rough canvas for them to go wild upon. I have often been given a song in sessions with just the drums to be added, so I wanted to reverse this, start with a drum pattern, but keep it interactive all the way to the end mix.” 

As a result, ‘We Burn Bright’ is an eclectic collection of tracks spanning everything from folk to reggae to brass instrumentals. The album also features contributions from the likes of Joe Chester, Carol Keogh, Adrian Crowley and Katy Perry’s musical director Adam Marcello.

Pandemic permitting, Hingerty should be hitting the road for the 30th anniversary celebrations of The Frames in the near future and is already working on the follow-up to ‘We Burn Bright’ with what he promises to be an equally unorthodox selection of musicians. ‘We Burn Bright is available on digital platforms now, with a vinyl release to follow on August 29th.