Frank Turner @ QMU 15/10/09

It’s always nice when frontmen break off from their respective collectives to start something new and refreshing. Frank Turner is no exception. Moving from the post-hardcore of former band Million Dead to begin a solo career of Billy Bragg-styled folk is the perfect way to diversify a fanbase, as was evident from the crowd seen at Turner’s self-admitted “biggest headline show in Scotland” to date after we caught him at Oran Mor this time last year.

Opening with the riotous-melodicity of ‘Live Fast Die Old’, from new album Poetry of the Deed, Turner kicked the night off to a rampage as the whole band leapt around the stage as if a part of the crowd. After a quick progression onto lead single ‘The Road’ and fans’ favourite ‘Long Live the Queen’, it was a pleasant surprise to see the band play more punky versions of the folk tinged recorded versions. Throughout the night there continued a rich variation between wild punk rock circa The Pogues (‘Nashville Tennessee’ and ‘Sons of Liberty’), more heartfelt numbers (‘Substitute’ and ‘Jetlag’) and everywhere in-between (‘I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous’).

Turner’s strongest point is without a doubt his genuineness. Each song reeked of sincerity and honesty, even the ones only intended for going crazy to. I lost count of the number of times Turner told the crowd how much fun he was having, but “lets not dwell on it too much, and just enjoy ourselves”. Turner hasn’t forgot his old school fans either, playing cult favourites ‘Smiling at Strangers on Trains’, ‘The Real Damage’ and ‘The Ballad of Me and My Friends’, from 2007’s Sleep is For The Week, each tracks was expectantly met by loud cheers from concentrated areas of the crowd. Even bringing up a fan from the audience to play the harmonica for a song (you lucky, lucky man Harmonica Nathan) looked perfectly genuine. It wasn’t until the end however that Turner reached the perfect balance between cordial lyrics and riotous fun with explosive closers ‘Reasons Not To Be An Idiot’ and ‘Photosynthesis’, from 2008’s heart-grabbing album Love Ire & Song, when he was joined on stage by support Beans on Toast (www.myspace.com/sexdrugspolitics) and Fake Problems (www.myspace.com/fakeproblems).

Now on his third album, Turner is winning the fans over and over again, delivering a range of songs strong in meaning, powerful lyrics, eclectic punk and acoustic rock, with a degree of abstraction thrown in. His live shows are everything you expect them to be, a chance to connect with the fans that follow him so devoutly, and boy does he deserve it.

Words: Hamish Gibson