Frank Turner - Sydney - November 22 2023

Frank Turner likes to refer to himself as a punk rocker but he’s much more than that. He’s also a folk singer, or at least a significant portion of him is, which is why he can so effortlessly collaborate with the likes of Emily Barker and Grace Petrie. It’s that mixing of genres which instantly attracted me to his music. I saw him in his folk mode supporting Counting Crows about six months earlier. And while I’d watched plenty of videos of him live with The Sleeping Souls, it hadn’t really prepared me for how full on he is when he's rocking (although there were a couple of lovely moments during the night when he did let the folk shine through). Frank and the band tore up the stage and aroused the audience into a chorusing, heaving mass.

I hadn’t intended to record so many songs, but as the concert progressed and the energy built, my excitement got the better of me. Once upon a time, I would have danced or jumped with abandonment. These days I push the record button. And I’m glad I did, ending up with eleven terrific tracks:

Get Better (00:06)
The Next Storm (03:04)
Haven’t Been Doing So Well (08:39)
I Am Disappeared (12:02)
The Way I Tend To Be (18:00)
Be More Kind (23:06)
I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous (27:04)
I Still Believe (30:21)
A Wave Across A Bay (35:48)
Non Serviam (40:07)
Polaroid Picture (42:10)

I hope I caught a little of the energy and excitement. Thanks Frank for a great night at show 2830.