Perth’s Astor Theatre was the venue blessed to house the penultimate date of UK punk/folk musician Frank Turner and his band The Sleeping Souls. A generous crowd braved a school night for an evening of hi-energy entertainment, which will sit as one of my unexpected gigs of the year.
Emily Barker, no stranger to Turner opened the evening with her acoustic guitar and harmonica. Her laid-back, folky vibes combined with her ability to converse with the crowd left a mark on the appreciative audience. Certainly one to look out for.
The main support for tonight are no strangers to Perth crowds as the Californian alternative rockers Mom Jeans headlined their own tour back in March. The sparked the audience into like with their pre-Greenday punk rock, with hints of Blink 182, but also confidently stamping their own mark on their music. Fans congregated in a large pocket at the front of the stage and jumped and waved whenever they saw fit, with Mom Jeans’ bass player Sam Kless and frontman Eric Butler encouraging them at every opportunity. Visiting tracks form their latest two albums ‘Bear Market’ and ‘Sweet Tooth’, Mom Jeans set the bar high for Turner & his cohorts to pick up the baton for the evening.
I had been looking forward to seeing Frank Turner for a while and even more so after interviewing him before he left the UK to embark on this tour. What I didn’t expect was to come out of the Astor Theatre on a Tuesday night feeling I may have witnessed one of my top three live shows of the year… and I didn’t even know many of the songs! Talk about leaving a lasting impression.
The first thing you pick up when Frank talks to the crowd is how genuine, as well as how educated he is… a fantastic communicator. This is no frontman giving endless rants about the way the world is screwed. He really does care that every single crowd member gets value for money, which tonight included a twenty-three song set list! The night kicked off with ‘Punches’ from latest album ‘FTHC’, a release that hit the number one spot in the UK, and I can see why. ‘Get Better’ is anthemic with its stomping beat and thumping delivery.
“If you haven’t been to a Frank Turner gig before then I’ll explain something. We have two rules – Rule number one – Don’t be a dickhead!” Rule number one seemed pretty logical but we all know it is a rule broken often a live events. “If while moshing or dancing you see one of your own fall down on the floor, pick them up!” I’m liking this guy already. “Rule number two – if you know the words to the songs then sing them…loudly! I know what you thinking – a punk band with rules!”
And then we were off… and didn’t stop. The energy from Turner is infectious. Hell, I was sweating just watching him and The Sleeping Souls go through some pretty frantic moves, all the while keeping their fingers firmly on the pulse. ‘Recovery’ had the crowd eating out the palm of his hands… Rule number two was being adhered to and to the letter. Fast transitions between songs meant we hardly had time to catch out breaths so I have no idea how the hell the guys on stage kept up the relentless pace.
A moment to reflect and celebrate Frank’s friendship with Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison, who passed away in 2018, taking his own life. Before leading into ‘A Wave Across a Bay’ Turner emphasised the importance of reaching out and talking if things get too bad – a poignant & heartfelt message in these troubled times.
We were treated to a fine array of songs across a multitude of albums like ‘Tape Deck Heart’, ‘Love Ire & Song’ and ‘England Keep My Bones’ but just when I couldn’t think things could get any better, Frank excused the Sleeping Souls to strip things back acoustically with three stunning tracks, ‘Way I Tend to Be’, ‘Be More Kind’ and ‘The Ballad of Me and My Friends’. The room stopped and stood in awe and that is when it sunk in to me just how incredible a song writer Turner is.
Things picked back up pretty quickly. The folky ‘Photosynthesis’ transforms into the pacey ‘Out of Breath’ and the jovial upbeat ‘I Still Believe’ before we got the onslaught of a three-song encore to finish us all off. “Remember rule number one? Lets get a circle going… slowly…don’t forget Don’t be a Dickhead!” Cue mayhem and organised fury as the band launched into ‘Non Serviam’ and Frank indulged with a stage dive, as he surfed his jubilant fans. ‘Polaroid Picture’ eased us into the closer for the night, the fantastic ‘Four Simple Words’, with Turner convincing the entire crowd to pirouette like ballerinas. A special mention to The Sleeping Souls who have an album out soon. Wonderful musicians who completed the night!
I will admit to going in fairly blind to this show tonight… but came out blinded by the sheer energy and delight the music and performance gave me. New fan? Most certainly. Time to buy the back catalogue? Most definitely. Put me in that mosh circle next time Frank… I’m more than happy to follow your rules. Incredible night that left me smiling from ear to ear.
With thanks to Dallas Does PR and Destroy All Lines for the media access.
Photos by Shotweiler Photography
GALLERY
Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls
Mom Jeans
