There’s something quite surreal about seeing someone play an in-store at your friends shop/cafe one minute and then a sold out Guildhall the next, especially given until half an hour prior to arriving at the Guildhall I hadn’t managed to get hands on a ticket…
…First up though, having missed opening act Beans on Toast, it was a chance to see the fantastic Flogging Molly and their Celtic infused punk-rock. The venue was already filling up and what better way to kick off the night than an Irish inspired jig, Flogging Molly combine fiddles and banjo’s with a bit of rock n roll giving them double the energy to get things started and are a band I’d love to see at their own show.
Coming out to the same song as he ended his afternoon set with earlier in the day, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls had everyone singing along from the off with “Photosynthesis” and the gig carried on as it started – songs such as “Reasons Not to be an Idiot” continuing to keep everyone entertained.
Frank Turner genuinely seems happy to be onstage, especially considering we’re not too far from his hometown of Winchester and as Frank talks of his upbringing before “Wessex Boy” (written about Winchester, rather than songs about London or New York) he calls out to his mother in the balcony for confirmation when referring to old friends.
You only need to look around to see how much of a following Turner has gained and you’ll be hard pushed to find anyone who didn’t have smile upon their face this evening, last years “Tape Deck Heart” has certainly gone down well amongst the fans as “The Way I used to be” and “Recovery” continued the sing along before possibly the most un-Frank sounding track “Broken Piano” brought the main set to a close.
The first track from the encore came from Frank Turners debut solo album “Sleep is for the Week” and the night finally came to an end with the more recent song “Four Simple Words” almost deliberately written to have people singing it all the way home.
Having had the privilege of seeing a stripped down version of Frank Turner earlier in the afternoon at Southsea’s Pie and Vinyl it was a bonus to have then seen him all again at the Guildhall, so thanks Frank for a great day and thanks to my friends for making it possible.
