Frictionless Man

Frictionless Man are a Welsh based band formed in 2004. The name was coined by founder member Stuart Ross after the title of a short story he planned to write. The story was never written but the same character of a 'frictionless man' was later used with permission by author Rhys Hughes in several of his own stories.

The band consists of a duo, Stuart Ross, who plays guitar, sings lead vocals and writes most of the songs, and Monica Konggaard, who plays bass and drums.

Both musicians have wide and varied experience in writing and performing music. Ross (born Bangladesh) played bass in the prog rock group Satori for several years before rejecting the unfashionability of such music in favour of a cleaner sound. Konggaard (born Denmark) is the daughter of the keyboard player for psychedelic rock band Elmira, whose seminal album 'Lady of the Mountain' (recorded over three years, 1973-1976) achieved cult success.

After leaving Satori, Ross secluded himself for several weeks and tried to write as many songs as possible in a manner akin to automatic writing. Certain elements of these early songs appeared in highly modified forms in the band's first serious compositions, 'Mile High', 'Car Crash' and 'Cloud'.

The band originally featured a drummer and an electric guitarist. In 2005, this four-piece released 'Grip, Grab, Grasp', an EP containing five songs. This EP caught the attention of radio presenter Adam Walton. At the same time studio time had been booked for the band, but before the recording date the drummer decided to leave, and the electric guitarist was dropped, and Konggaard inspired Ross to search for a new sound. The re-recorded version of the song 'Car Crash' launched the band as a vibrant duo on the local Welsh music scene.

Despite their popularity in the Swansea area, the duo maintain a modest attitude, with Konggaard recently declaring that "it's a bit up our own arse to have a entry!"

In addition to their own songs, Frictionless Man are currently composing music for the 'Sereia de Curitiba' show, a mixed media performance initiated by Rhys Hughes.

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