Angie Hart

As part of our commitment to capturing and sharing great Australian music stories, the Australian Music Vault asked some of the country’s most influential trailblazers and unsung heroes to open up about their lives in music.

Singer-songwriter Angie Hart rose to prominence as frontwoman of indie-pop band Frente! in the 1990s. Born in Adelaide, Hart moved to Melbourne at the age of 15. Whilst frequenting popular live music venue The Punters Club, she met barman Simon Austin. The pair became musical and romantic partners.

Frente!’s core members included Austin on guitar, Tim O’Connor on bass and Mark Picton on drums, but it was Hart’s distinctive and emotive voice that defined the band’s sound. Their debut single, ‘Labour of Love’ (1991), immediately resonated with audiences and established the band as a notable and unique presence in the grunge-drenched music scene.

In 1992, the band signed to Mushroom Records and released their follow-up single ‘Ordinary Angels’ which reached No. 3 on the charts and won an ARIA Award for Best Breakthrough Artist. Their next single, ‘Accidently Kelly Street’, made Frente! a household name and featured on their ARIA award-winning debut album, Marvin the Album. That same year, Frente!’s cover of New Order’s ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ peaked at No. 49 on the US Billboard charts and resulted in tours across America with the likes of Alanis Morrisette and Ween.

After Frente! disbanded in 1997, Hart continued to record and play music in various outfits including Splendid, Holidays on Ice, and Four Hours Sleep. She has also released two solo albums.

In this interview, Hart opens up about Frente!’s early days, the band’s success and public backlash, overcoming her shyness to perform, and finding her feet in her side and solo projects.

Interviewer: Jane Gazzo
Location: Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, 2023