Frank Turner, Academy, Dublin

Frank Turner And The Sleeping Souls are greeted with a rapturous reception for their first Dublin gig since 2013. Turner is jumping around enthusiastically from the opening chords of 'The Next Storm', skittering around the Academy stage delivering every line with the gusto of his hardcore days. His stage manner is a mix of Elvis and Paul Simenon. Trusty guitarist Ben Lloyd leaps about the place looking delighted about the whole thing.

'The Road' follows without pause. Turner is here promoting his sixth album, Positive Songs For Negative People. The records are good but these songs were written to be played live. After standing astride the barrier for 'Losing Days', Turner finally stops to introduce himself and the band. This is gig number 1831 according to his obsessive accounting of his shows. Anyone curious to see the full list can look here. 

The conflict between his everyman persona and his natural showmanship is illustrated well in his interactions with the audience. In rock pantomime style he divides the crowd into two teams with Lloyd and bassist Tarrant Anderson as team captains to see which side of the room can display the greatest enthusiasm.

Given the thrall in which the crowd are held by the tunes tonight and the exuberance of the sold out show, the well worn routine is probably not needed for this show. Every word is sung back from the old songs and the new. The crowd are onside from the off with hands clapping, arms waving, and the pit is heaving.

It's funny during 'If Ever I Stray' hearing Irish people sing about the English channel but shows how far we've come and the unifying power of Turner's music. The same could be said for 'Long Live The Queen'.

He straps on the electric guitar and plays the opening chords of 'Back In Black' and the first verse of Thin Lizzy's 'Jailbreak' to much amusement. Turner's throat is hurting and his voice audibly cracking but it doesn't deter him from giving it socks. Those around me in their No Means No and Bad Religion t-shirts appreciate it greatly.

There's a solo set half way through before the rest of the band suddenly reappear from the shadows mid-song. 'Glory Hallelujah' is an atheistic gospel singalong performed by both the band and the audience with an evangelical zeal. It's everything Richard Dawkins said in The God Delusion condensed and made into an affirmation and celebration of life.

With a band like The Sleeping Souls behind you it's impossible to sound bad. The songs run the gamut from folky stompers to punk thrashers via heartfelt confessionals, with shredding electric mandolin solos.

The high tempo is maintained during 'Recovery' with a competition between the two sides of the room to win a signed drum skin. It's a rousing rendition. There's the traditional sit down/stand up routine for 'Photosynthesis' before the main set closes with 'Plain Sailing Weather' and 'Get Better'.

The inevitable encore starts solo with 'The Way I Tend To Be' and early tune 'Love, Ire And Song.' They have played for two hours with a setlist covering Turner's whole solo career, drawing heavily from recent albums England Keep My Bones and Tape Deck Heart as well as the latest, and still muster a big finish with a stage diving, crowd surfing 'I Still Believe' And 'Four Simple Words'.

Our throats are shredded from singing. Our limbs tired from dancing, and palms sore from clapping. But our sleeping souls are aroused and the communion of the show follows us home. A top show from a top showman.