When we caught up with Fran Healy, Travis’s lead singer, he was in the best mood.
The Travis: Raze The Bar Tour lands at The Depot in Salt Lake City on Tuesday (February 4, 2025).
It was midday on a Friday when we connected. Fran had been awake for 45 minutes and was in Portland, where the band had a show the night before. He was still in bed, which helped account for his half-dreamy state. He’d dawdled his way through town the previous night, he says, and probably solely because it was rainy and cold. The crisp air reminded him of his native Glasgow, where he grew up accustomed to the 200 days of rainfall the city receives every year.
The band’s already halfway through its 22-date tour, and it’s the first time the foursome has headlined through this country in a dozen years. While Fran freely admits that’s far too long to have stayed away, he hardly feels forgotten by Travis’ diehard fan base. And this stint is a far cry from the amount of touring they did in their earliest days when a staggering 240 shows a year was somehow typical. The pace they’ve adapted to is far more sustainable.
Now Travis has a new album (2024’s L.A. Times, their 10th), and diehard fans are reconnecting with it. It probably helps that Coldplay’s Chris Martin and The Killers’ Brandon Flowers lend their chops to “Raze The Bar.” But there’s more to it than that. Nearly three decades in, the band comprises Fran and a few seemingly lifelong mates: Dougie Payne, Neil Primrose, and Andy Dunlop. That longevity makes a palpable difference.
“We’re still in this band. We’re like a couple who celebrate their 60th anniversary and they’re still in love,” Fran told Concord. “It’s all about the relationship. This is the marriage of four menāand it’s hard enough to keep two people interested, never mind four.”
He tells a story about how they released their sophomore release, 1999’s The Man Who, only to be told by one critic that it was commercial suicide. And that was alarming. The brand briefly took it to heart. By the time it sold 3.5 million copies, Travis had more than proved that critic wrong. It taught Fran a lesson: predictions were preposterous and silly in his line of work.
“You’ve got no control, dead or alive, of what your songs are going to do,” he says. “A band only has to go out and deliver these magic bookmarks to people and stir their memories and emotions. You have to let the songs do the rest.”
For a time, Travis became so pervasive on the radio (“Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” and “Sing” were practically ubiquitous) that some critics lashed out at them unnecessarily. But Travis shouldn’t be underestimated, Fran says.
“When we first came through America, all the country had was fucking Britney Spears and Limp Bizkit. Nirvana was big, but then it descended into pop music chaos. The Man Who and The Invisible Band were these islands that teenagers climbed on and discovered. There was no internet; they just found the albums. Our band ended up being the gateway drug to many other great bands coming out of our country then.”
When Fran is asked what he gets out of still being able to perform and pull massive audiences wherever Travis plays, he’s momentarily stumped. When it hits him, he flashes a grin.
“I get to scream at the top of my voice on songs like “Selfish Gene,” and it’s like primal therapy. That’s quite therapeutic.”
Screaming. Touring. Hanging out with his buddies. No wonder Fran’s in such a great mood.
- Who: Travis
- Where: The Depot
- When: February 4, 2025
- Tickets and Info: Travis: Raze The Bar Tour
