I took Will and his friend Jamie to see Frank Turner and his band in Baltimore on 6 June. I have to say, it is wonderful to have a child with great taste in music. I can't imagine my dad taking me to a concert when I was 15 and both of us having a blast. (Actually my dad was great, but he never took me to any rock concert.) Jamie's dad is also a Frank Turner fan, and saw several of his SXSW shows, but unfortunately had a conflict and could not make this date.
I love seeing bands in bars or clubs. I have pretty much given up on arena shows unless I can get tickets in the first 10 rows. I would rather be in a place that is general admission and I can get close enough to see every detail of the performance, the emotion of the band and feel the energy of the performance. The best time to see a band in a club is when they are just breaking, and maybe won't be playing clubs much longer. Frank Turner is certainly in this category. He is already playing arenas in his native England. Here he is with his band earlier this year at Wembley.
Rams Head is of course far smaller than Wembley, but Frank Turner was on fire, and the audience was totally into the show. Will and Jamie knew every lyric, and there was plenty of audience participation.
Frank Turner
Frank Turner is a very high energy performer, but I find it a little difficult to categorize his music. A simple description would be English Folk Rock, but then Fairport Convention is in that category, and Turner is far edgier and very contemporary. He comes to more traditional music via a punk band and brings a punk attitude. However he is very well educated (Eton) and his music and lyrics are deeply anchored in English history and culture. I described him to someone as an English Springsteen, and while imperfect I do think there is some truth in that comparison. He calls his music English Country which I guess works too.
Nigel Powell
All of The Sleeping Souls were tight. The photo above is drummer Nigel Powel, and I also especially like their guitarist Ben Lloyd, who barely ever stood still and is partially blurred in every photo including the one below.
Ben Lloyd
Frank Turner is big fan of tattoos, and even has a song 'Tattoos' on his latest album which sounds pretty biographical. I think I saw a mention in his Twitter or IG feed on getting some new ink recently on his current US tour. Anyway, the art on his arms when he is playing is pretty cool.
Frank Turner Ink
Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls are back in the Washington area on 1 August at the Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD. Details here. He and his band are great live performers, with interesting original songs.