aaamusic | On 20, Jul 2010

London, 18th July

I’m not going to lie to you. This review is biased. Very biased. Because I think Frank Turner is one of the best things to happen to British music… well, ever, really. His beardy genius knows no bounds to me and I know that viewpoint is hotly contested between me and those that think he’s a preachy fool with a Billy Bragg obsession. Needless to say, if Turner continues on the trajectory he’s going, those with the latter viewpoint are going to be left in the dust, cursing Turner’s ascension to King of the World!

<Ahem>, of course, he’s not quite there yet. In a stupendous blonde moment on the part of the organisers, Frank is playing a slot supporting The Futureheads at a venue he already sold out in February but as per usual this doesn’t faze him in the slightest. Surprisingly enough he doesn’t mine his fantastic recent record Poetry of the Deed for his set list, rather, he goes into his extensive back catalogue and delvers a genuine treat for sad, sad anoraks like myself.

Opening with pretty much the entry level Frank Turner song “The Real Damage” and the fact that it isn’t immediately turned into a deafening hymn sung by everyone in the building shows that it will take more than usual to turn this quite partisan crowd around. “Poetry of the Deed” comes next and the chemistry of his superb band lifts everybody’s spirits. We’re not in the palm of his hand yet, but give it a couple of songs!

Several songs pass (including my all time favourite song “Nashville Tennessee” from his first ever E.P Campfire Punkrock) and the audience don’t really move from a state of polite interest. That is, until new song “I Still Believe” forces people to sing along to its middle eight and fire breathing protest song “Sons of Liberty” shows of Frank’s considerable guitar skills. At which point people start to get properly into it, there’s even something that resembles a mosh pit during a climactic Photosynthesis.

So in all, not Frank’s best gig, not by any fault of his, the crowd just isn’t into it as much as usual. But what sets Frank apart from pretty much anyone else who does a support slot these days is that for one, he doesn’t have to play the best show of his life to send a fanboy like me home with a massive grin on my face. And he and his band put the same heart and soul into supporting The Futureheads as supporting Green Day as Wembley Stadium, to him, they’re both gigs, both as important as each other, and what will he do after both of those gigs? As he’s always done, he’ll take to the road yet again.

Author: Will Howard