Pirouetting With Frank Turner

When seeing bands, my general rule is to try, if at all possible, to see them in smaller venues, which are the lifeblood of the live music scene. It can be great to watch bands soar off to greater things and play in big venues, but once they do, you know that your chances of seeing them anywhere other than those cavernous halls are remote. 

Frank Turner is, however, somewhat different: an artist who can fill arenas but has never forgotten his roots and the venues that nurtured both his original punk band, Million Dead, and his subsequent career as the singer-songwriter troubadour that he has become. Earlier this year, he broke the world record by playing 16 gigs in 16 cities in 24 hours. I tried to get tickets for the Parish in Huddersfield and Boom in Leeds, but to no avail. Knowing that he was promoting his new album Undefeated via a tour of smaller venues, I was waiting at the keyboard the second the tickets were released for his gig at The Brudenell. I often fail to get a hold of hot tickets, but this time my luck was in.

It’s fair to say that this was a much anticipated gig, with plenty of fans arriving early. The great thing about seeing an artist in somewhere much smaller than they can play is that it is generally only going to be the real fans who are there. I managed to miss the first support act, Ben Brown (sorry, Ben), as I was in the bar having a classic Brudenell pie. Having washed that down with a pint, it was time to see The Meffs, a two-piece punk band from Colchester. They were new to me, but they had infectious energy and humour that I really enjoyed, and I will definitely catch them again if they play up this way. It is worth noting that for small bands, they make most of their money in these days of streaming through merchandise sales, so I made sure, as I often do, that I left with a cracking The Meffs T-Shirt.

It’s fair to say that by the time Frank took the stage, the Brud was as hot as I think I’ve experienced in there. He was dripping within a couple of tracks, but it was clear from the off that Frank and his band, The Sleeping Souls, were right up for having a good time. It was one of those classic nights where the band fed off the energy of the crowd, and vice versa. When this happens, it's like alchemy, and it was great to experience it. The main set comprised a significant runout of the new album, with Pandemic PTSD, Girl From The Record Shop, and No Thank You For The Music being the standout tracks for me hearing them live. Interspersed with the new tracks, of course, Frank scattered songs from across his career, including a lovely acoustic section halfway through that included the fabulous Love Ire & Song.

There’s no doubt that Frank knows how to play a crowd, so after a rousing rendition of Photosynthesis closes the gig, he returns for a crowd-pleasing encore, including I Still Believe and Four Simple Words. This included a rather surreal moment when Frank got the whole crowd to pirouette round and round before cranking things up in euphoric fashion and launching himself into the crowd for a spot of crowd surfing. A great night and a first for me—a gig including both a circle pit and a spot of impromptu ballet—now that’s worth getting out of the house on a Monday night for sure.

Frank Turner and the support band The Meffs appeared at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds