I didn't know quite what to expect when I visited the Turner Hall Ballroom on a Monday evening for a concert to literally kick off my summer break. Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls made, what I believe, was their second career stop at the Turner Hall Ballroom (amply booked for this occasion). Frank Turner and his band is an interesting act in many ways. Overseas, in their native London, they played Wembley Arena in April of 2012, and clearly have established themselves as a Foo Fightersesque arena anthematic rock act. Here in Milwaukee, they drew quite well, nearly filling up Turner Hall on a Monday, but, needless-to-say didn't have the same arena appeal that they do across the pond.
Turner is a singer-songwriter who got me hooked with his album Love Ire and Song, which came out in 2008. Each subsequent album has been more poppy in nature, although Turner's trademark storytelling lyrics have persevered. 2013's release, Tape Deck Heart may be Turner's most accessible material to date.
His music is often referred to as "folk punk," although it's hard to really pinpoint what other critics mean by this descriptor. Turner and the Sleeping Souls sounded to me like a working-class rock outfit, not unlike the Minneapolis-via-Brooklyn band I enjoy, the Hold Steady. There were lots of references to growing up, friends, partying and lots and lots of crowd sing-a-longs. However, Turner's show is a lot more polished than the Hold Steady, and honestly would be better compared alongside American working -class hero singer songwriters like Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp, and not unlike fellow Brit, Billy Bragg.
Frank Turner's whole show was based on crowd participation and, as he early-on declared, "there were only two rules to being at his show: 1) be kind to one another and 2) sing along whenever possible." The crowd embraced both of these mantras to their fullest. While I hung towards the back more so than usual at this show, the fans in front clearly took Turner's advice to heart and belted out chorus upon chorus, clapping, singing, screaming, jumping, and, at one point, per Frank's request, doing jumping jacks in unison. This show was an interactive party, capped off by a young fan who couldn't have been more than eight years old joining Turner onstage during the set closer, "Photosynthesis," belting out the chorus, "I won't sit down, I won't shut up, and most of all, I will not grow up." It was easy to see how, with his ability to hold a crowd in the palm of his hand, Frank Turner could play arenas overseas. After all, if Springsteen and Mellencamp can do it here, why not Frank Turner over there. However, like Springsteen and more so Mellencamp, Turner's show became predictable quickly, which, to hardcore fans wasn't an issue, but to a more casual listener lead to some redundancies. Overall, Frank Turner is an entertainer and showman with a great backing band and a promising future as a rock 'n roll act. As Turner stated before the encore (my personal favorite song of his), "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous," going to a show is, "a time to check your BS at the door, get together with other folks, accept their differences and be part of rock 'n roll." Turner's show lived up to this disclaimer.
Turner @ Wembley Arena:
Turner @ Turner Hall Ballroom:
As you can see the Wembley Arena crew had better equipment than my iPhone 4s, but the energy was consistently high in both venues.
All photos courtesy of Stephen Bloch's Gigshots.
Grade: A-
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