Frank Turner, Usher Hall, Edinburgh
- Written by Alex Watt
Photo: Julia Stryj
There is a good crowd in for the early start to the gig from folk/rock singer-songwriter, Esme Patterson. Patterson has a fresh, high-pitched voice and some simple but emotional messages in her songs. She is tight with her band and clearly enjoying playing a big venue like the Usher Hall. Unfortunately, the sound mix seems set to the rockier end of the spectrum and her vocals are often lost in the guitars. The highlights of her set tonight are ‘The Waves’ and ‘No River’. During these songs, her voice floats on top of the rhythms. It was then that the ambiguity of her vocal fragility and the band’s growling rock guitar power works best. The crowd give her a strong vote of thanks and prepare for the second act.
The programme is set to crank the audience up for the main act and so the energy level rises when Felix Hagan And The Family take the stage. This is glam rock fun. Felix Hagan and the Family look a little like they have stepped out of a performance of the Rocky Horror Show. They bounce around with the same joyous energy too. The tunes are catchy and the band are out to have a good time with their theatrical rock. A few bars in to the first tune and the audience catch the mood and are dancing along. Felix has a strong stage presence engaging with the audience and keeping the energy high. His performance and the infectious guitar driven rock put smiles on the faces in the hall. This is a band that deserves to be cried back for an encore except that the main act still holds on to the crowd’s expectations.
The main act of the evening is Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls who get a loud welcome from the audience. Frank tells them that this is his 1,990th gig and his hard work has clearly paid off in the loyalty of his fans. Frank opens with ‘I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous’ and as the band join him on stage, the audience are already joining in the choruses. The second song ‘The Next Storm’ was the highlight of the set and won over this skeptic to Turner’s brand of singalong rock. Here the lyrics about overcoming adversity and moving on to face the world are perfectly matched by a fine melody and an uplifting beat.
Frank has an easy stage presence and he chats away to the audience as if he were bantering with his mates in the pub. The most quotable of his comments was his random realisation that it may be no coincidence that the year of Taylor Swift’s birth (1989) was one without the release of a new Iron Maiden album. This stage familiarity can make the show a little Butlins-esque as Frank splits the audience into two gangs (left side v right side) and promises a prize of a signed drum-skin to encourage audience effort in participation. However, these antics clearly work as the crowd are devoted to him. His strong stage presence and clear lyrical style provide the justification for comparisons with Bruce Springsteen.
Frank plays most of the set with an acoustic guitar but does shift to ‘his new friend’ an electric one for a few numbers. He introduces this instrument with a short blast of ‘Ace of Spades’ laughing as he forgets some of the words. His playing though is good throughout and he receives able support from his band, the Sleeping Souls.
Turner is sometimes described as having a punk background although tonight even his old tunes like ‘Try This At Home’ are more bar-room rock. The only carp about this gig is the lack of a change of pace. There is not sufficient variation from the anthemic, singalong numbers. The song where this is most evident comes around the middle of gig. Frank is joined by Esme Patterson for the sad ‘Silent Key’. This song has an excellent contrasts between a rocking first half and then a keening break before a rousing finale. Sadly, in this performance, the tone did not vary enough during the break and its effect was lost.
However, this does not spoil a good night out. Frank takes a few songs alone on stage and his version of ‘Glorious You’ and an old song from his days with Million Dead which show him back on full form.
The band rejoin him and the finale is cheered to the rafters. A communal effort as he intends.