Frank Turner LIVE!

If you’ve read our blog before, you know that I (Rae) am pretty obsessed with a certain British singer-songwriter named Frank Turner. Frank is the perfect combination of punk and folk, rock and bluegrass, guitar riffs and acoustic chords. I fell in love with Frank’s music when I lived in England and have been slowly trying to convert all of my friends to Frank fanatics ever since. I could never fully explain how much Frank’s music has meant to me, and the kind of impact its had on my life. For me, music is deeply connected to memories, and Frank’s soulful crooning draws me back to a hard place that got much, much better. For the first time since this musical love affair started, I had the chance to see Frank LIVE last week. Here’s my recap of the show:

First of all, I just have to point out the obvious that Frank is INCREDIBLE live. He has more energy and positivity than I could ever hope to possess, and he does this nearly EVERY NIGHT, FOLKS. Seriously, check out the list of shows on his U.S. tour – he’s going pretty much everywhere and I can guarantee he gives 110% at each and every show. Our show started with two openers, The Homeless Gospel Choir and Two Cow Garage, who were both talented and enjoyable acts. After a short break to reset the stage, our main man FRANK TURNER and his backing band, The Sleeping Souls (who are AMAZING, by the way), took to the stage. They started off with Frank’s seminal classic “I Still Believe” which contains one of my favorite lyrics: “now who’d have thought that after all, something as simple as rock ‘n’ roll would save us all.” He played a great mix of songs for fans both old and new from a number of his albums, including early hits like “Photosynthesis,” “The Ballad of Me and My Friends,” and “Love Ire and Song,” as well as many songs from his newest records, Tape Deck Heart and Positive Songs for Negative People. Nearly all of my favorite Frank songs were played, including “Plain Sailing Weather,” “The Opening Act of Spring,” and “Recovery.”

Frank also performed a NEW song for us (and kindly asked us not to record it, so sorry to tease you without a preview!). He had literally finished writing it a day before the show and guys, it was AWESOME. I can’t wait until he records and releases it for all of you to hear. What struck me most about Frank’s concert was his emphasis on turning it not only into a participatory event, but also a community gathering. He had all of us sit on the floor of the venue at one point and look around at one another, encouraging us to remember our fellow concert attendees as friends, sharing in these life moments together. He literally and figuratively put us all on an equal playing ground, a breath of fresh air in the world of live music that often emphasizes importance, status, and benefits based on how much you can pay for a ticket.

All in all, Frank played a total of 26 songs (!!!!) over about 2 hours. He played songs with his full band as a well as a few acoustic numbers alone, and also did a RAD cover of “Breed” by Nirvana. He brought someone on stage and had her crowdsurf, and during his final song, “Four Simple Words,” Frank himself dove into the crowd. The show was high energy from start to finish – my Fitbit counted nearly 8,000 steps during those 2 hours! At a Frank Turner show, “I want to dance” becomes less of a lyric and more of a mindset.

Oh, and did I mention that my friend and I got to MEET Frank after the show? It was an absolute dream come true for me. I stumbled over my words a little (but who could blame me?!) but Frank was incredibly kind, talking to us about my time studying in York, The Postal Service, Fitbits, and everything in between. He signed my CD insert and posed for a photo with me, even complimenting my camera. He spent almost 15 minutes talking to my friend and me, despite the fact that there was still a small pack of people waiting to meet him. I can genuinely say that Frank is one of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. I hope all of you blog readers get the chance to see this incredible guy in concert one day.

You can follow Frank’s Twitter here. Comment on this post or talk to us on Twitter about your favorite Frank Turner song!

Cheers,

Rae