Let me begin by saying that Frank Turner is one of my absolute favorites. The guy is one of the hardest working musicians out there, and I personally love just about everything he puts out, so he can't do too much wrong in my opinion. Basically, you should probably expect a biased review here.
My love for Frank and his backing band, 'The Sleeping Souls' took me up to Jacksonville on a Thursday night for a small gig at a club called the Underbelly. Now Jacksonville is a boring 4 hour drive from Tampa, and the greeting we received there was nothing pleasant. We wandered around downtown for about an hour looking for a bar, before retreating to the always consistent 'Car Bar', (our actual car in the parking garage) to get some pre-gaming in.
Luckily, the club was nicer than the reputation we had for the city, and all negative thoughts were quickly erased once Frank hit the stage. The folk-punk singer started the show off a bit differently by opening with usual closer '4 Simple Words.' This gave the crowd an early chance to bounce around and test out their voices for the evening.
The energy of the crowd here was better than any Frank show I've seen in the past. The entire center of the floor became a mosh-pit, and I found myself quickly towards the front of the floor, right with all the other big Frank Turner fans.
Now I'm sure everyone thinks this about the fans of their favorite bands, but I truly believe Frank Turner fans are some of the best out there. As Frank frequently mentions: despite your musical abilities, 'Everyone can raise a glass and sing.' His following has completely bought into this philosophy. They sing his songs loudly and very proudly. Frank seems to love the sing a long method, as he encourages everyone to both sing and dance with him.
The crowd reacted well to Frank all night as he sweated his way through a full set hitting all of his best material. The singer songwriter has released 5 albums, and he even played a few new songs from an upcoming 6th album. From the first sound of things, it seems promising.
Frank's encore featured two of his oldest songs, with 'The Ballad of Me and My Friends' and 'I Knew Prufrock Before he Got Famous.' This gave way to Frank's own anthem in 'I Still Believe.' By the end of that passionate rock tune, I was completely drenched in sweat and cheering loudly with the rest of the Underbelly.
Overall impressions: there are not many artists I would make the drive to Jacksonville to see, but Frank Turner is definitely one of them. The guys passion and drive is second to none. At his going touring rate, he'll be back in Florida before the end of the year. Look this guy up and go see him. One of the best guys out there. Thanks Frank!
Concert Rating: 4 Stars
SETLIST:
1. Four Simple Words
2. The Road
3. Glory Hallelujah
4. Reasons Not to be an Idiot
5. Get Better
6. If Ever I Stray
7. Out of Breath
8. The Way I Tend to Be
9. Plea
10. My Kingdom for a Horse
11. Wessex Boy
12. Photosynthesis
13. Silent Key
14. Plain Sailing Weather
15. Peggy Sang the Blues
16. Try This at Home
17. The Next Storm
18. Recovery
19. Long Live the Queen
Encore:
20. The Ballad of Me and My Friends
21. I Knew Prufrock Before he Got Famous
22. I Still Believe
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