Posting on the band’s Facebook page after the event Frost revealed he was “dealing with alcohol addiction and mental health issues” and had been diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia, planning to seek treatment and rehabilitation.
The band issued a public apology and went on hiatus for two years.
In 2018 Frost publicly acknowledged “alcoholic behaviour in the past has intimidated or made people feel unsafe around me” and the band appeared on Triple J radio show Hack, with Frost saying that “boys will be boys” when questioned about past behaviour.
The band defended and explained the “hard” interview on Instagram. “This was in reference to our past experiences of fighting one another,” they said. “The attitude of “boys will be boys” and “s*** happens” is no way to look at violence.”
One month later Frost was removed from Sydney pub Kelly’s On King in Newtown after another incident, with The Music reporting he was escorted from the premises after a verbal altercation with model Alexandra V Tanygina. The Australian reported that Frost told Alexandra that “he hated transgender feminists, that he couldn’t be sexist because his mother was a feminist and he couldn’t be racist because he was Māori”.
Frost alleged in a statement of response, released to both Australian news sites, that he had been “verbally attacked”.
Frost isn’t the only band member to be criticised or charged. In 2021, band member Paddy Cornwall pleaded guilty to charges following a fight with Frost at a bowling club in Marrickville, reportedly punching the frontman – who was also charged and later checked into rehab – in the head 26 times.
Sticky Fingers was formed in 2008, and Frost’s current bandmates include Cornwall, Freddy Crabs, Seamus Coyle and Beaker Best. The indie rock band has released five albums.
In 2022 Frost stormed off stage at a Melbourne concert, later apologising on Facebook.
In March, 2023 they were dropped from Bluesfest lineup after criticism over their inclusion, and the festival apologised. A Brisbane show was cancelled in August following Frost’s hospitalisation.
In 2023, a writer close to the band, Nelson Groom released the book Belly of the Beast: On the Road With Sticky Fingers, following their 2019 tour of Australia and New Zealand and past.
Frost grew up in Auckland, where his mother owned a club, and the book details their time on Greys Ave, and the family’s move to Australia for a fresh start.
“Groom paints a troubled portrait of Frost - “an anti-social butterfly” - he was known to disappear for long periods of time, and was frequently difficult to locate prior to shows,” wrote Herald reviewer Ben Tomsett. “The book further details that Frost was checked into rehab.”
Frost returned to New Zealand for a stint in 2019, staying in Bay of Plenty and working with Tiki Taane on Frost’s debut solo EP, Lush Linguistic.
