Frank Turner - Leeds Metropolitan University, 22/10/09[Live]

October 27, 2009, 01:24 AM

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3.30pm on Thursday afternoon and I was allowed the privilege of entertaining the very man who would be entertaining hundreds of people, including me, a mere six hours later; Mr Frank Turner. 3.50pm and the interview was over and after being promised a joke on stage that he couldn’t remember in the interview, the anticipation for that night’s events had become so unbearably powerful, that I found myself screaming in the street, albeit down the phone to my unfortunate friend, on the receiving end.

Now, its quite certain that not many people in the Leeds Met bar, at 9.30pm that night, had the same experience of talking to the folk-punk man before the gig, but what is certain is that if they weren’t screaming in the street beforehand, they were defiantly screaming at the stage now. The noise, the atmosphere and unfortunately the sweat, was rising and when Frank Turner, guitar in hand and his band of merry men hit the stage, it was a wonder the roof didn’t blow off.

Not at all fazed by the herds of excitable students, Mr Turner started us off with a rendition of 'Live Fast, Die Old,' that set the tone for the night. This tone was to be mass sing-alongs, followed by even more screaming, followed by even more singing by the jovial crowd and when only two songs in, Frank and the band cracked out 'Long Live The Queen,' Frank may as well have just played his guitar and let the audience do the rest. With a few tears and hugs all round, it was obvious everyone in the audience had polished their lungs for tonight. This is the magic of Frank Turner’s gigs. You see he is very popular, his sold out tour should indicate this, but when any non-music committed person is asked if they like him, the kind who have heard mainly of the mainstream, they shake their heads in confusion. So why is his tour sold out then? This is because the people that do go too his shows are dedicated fans, for the most part, and this is why almost every song, that night, was reiterated back to him, word for word, inch perfect.

New material, from “Poetry Of The Deed” may not have got the same ecstatic reception, say as some of the older material, but they were received well enough to note that his last album was a success. Songs such as 'Sons Of Liberty' and 'Poetry Of The Deed' were met with loud applause, with the biggest cheer from the new material being showcased tonight going to 'The Road.' The first single to be taken from Frank’s new album, 'The Road' was a welcome addition to the set-list, that was embraced with open arms by the fans. A few more songs and Frank is ready to talk more to his crowd and tell us all how his sister is in the audience tonight. She gets a cheer for being a Turner, whilst the her sibling on stage starts the show again. More cheers and with what could be mistaken for a mass X Factor audition, more favourites are boomed out, 'Substitute,' 'Love, Ire And Song' and 'Imperfect Tense,' whilst new material slides easily into the seams, 'Dan’s Song.' Then Frank tells us he has only a few more songs left. No one likes this, but everyone knows that an encore is near.

'I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous' is second to last and then comes 'Journey Of Magi.' The last note finishes from the stage, but not from the crowd. Cheers, screams and an never ending rendition of “Encore”, is promptly issued.

Five minutes later and Frank Turner (minus a shirt) and his band are back and 'The Ballad Of Me And Friends' is the first on the list. Gaining the biggest and loudest cheer of the night, it also ensures the biggest amount of singing from the crowd and when Frank sings “and we’re definitely going to hell,” this is promptly bellowed, ten times as loud back at him. Next up is 'Reasons Not To Be An Idiot,' which again ups the ante for most horse voices in the morning and then its time for the best and last song of the night, 'Photosynthesis.' Arms waving, everyone screaming every word and random strangers hugging their fellow fans, the stage is invaded by Frank’s friends and his voice is over powered by that of the masses. He introduces his band and then says goodbye, to a room full of sweating, shrieking fans. Everyone in the room could of stayed for another two hours and still been awake and ready to take crowd participation to the next level.

One word to describe this gig then: fan-bloody-tastic. Yes no-one had a voice left when we reached the cold, outdoor climates and yes everyone’s hair was stuck to their face like they had been attacked with glue, but no no-one cared. Everyone was wearing the same thing, when they left the venue: a massive smile, as I’m sure was Frank Turner because for every word he sang, hundreds of people sang it back to him, with just as much heart and soul, as he pours into his songs.

So, as Frank says, if we are “definitely going to hell,” then tonight’s gig is surely the first story many will be telling when they get down there. A simply amazing gig had by all, even if I didn’t get my joke.

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