Frank Ocean's Live Solo Debut

Everyone's talking about Odd Future this week, what with them being banned from playing the New Zealand leg of the Big Day Out.  But Frank Ocean (who we interviewed in Oyster #93) is a little different to the rest of the group —he's kind of like Gizmo, the cute and fluffy Gremlin who refused to eat food after midnight, and Tyler would be Stripe.

As a result, it's always been a bit weird when Frank has performed with the rest of Odd Future —he stands around awkwardly while they sing 'AssMilk' and 'Bitch Suck Dick', then he gets up and sings 'Songs 4 Women' and 'Thinking About You'. But this weekend Frank went to the House of Blue in his hometown of New Orleans and had his very first solo show, spending the entire set on stage by himself. You can watch a lot of it on YouTube, but here's the best bit: where he plays the guitar solo from 'Hotel California' (as sampled in his own song 'American Wedding') on a plastic Guitar Hero guitar, in front of a giant screen showing the game. "I've always wanted to do that," he said afterwards.

Photography: Nabil Elderkin

Ariane Halls