Frank Turner

January 29th 2019

Glasgow O2 Academy

Gig number 2,305 (he keeps count, you know) for Frank Turner, and I did initially wonder if his incessant touring had begun finally to catch up with the man.  Not with his energy levels, which remained as manic as ever.  Nor with his band, which was as tight, this evening, as the proverbial gnat's chuff.  But with the old FT vocal chords.  

For there was no doubt, until Frank warmed up, he did little more than shout his way through the first three or four tunes.  Things did settle down, but one could not help but ponder just what sort of damage 2,305 gigs could inflict upon a man's singing apparatus.

The new album Be More Kind was heavily featured, with Brave Face and the title track each shining.  Thankfully, there was no place for Make America Great Again – this tune being perhaps one of Frank's very few mis-steps in his generally uncompromising tramp to wherever he is headed.  Each time I hear it, (or even worse, watch the video on YouTube), I cannot imagine what fuck he was thinking.

Anyway, it was great to hear Frank perform the Frightened Rabbit tune The Modern Leper, in acknowledgement of the recent departing of Scott Hutchison.  This song formed part of the mid-set acoustic spot, and once Frank welcomed the band back on stage with the opening lines to “Prufrock", we tumbled headlong into a final half-hour or so of roller-coaster rock'n'roll the likes of which, I would suggest, few performers can match these days.

FT

Matt Nasir

Ben Lloyd

Nigel Powell

Tarrant Anderson

Set list

Out of Breath
Photosynthesis
1933
Recovery
If I Ever Stray
Blackout
Polaroid Picture
Brave Face
Mittens
Little Changes
The Road
I Am Disappeared
Don't Worry
Undeveloped Film
The Modern Leper
The Ballad of Me and My Friends
I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous
The Next Storm
Try This at Home
I Still Believe

Encore
Be More Kind
The Way I Tend To Be
Get Better
Four Simple Words

Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls - Glasgow January 2019

Support for the evening* had been the much vaunted Jimmy Eat World - an odd choice by Mr. T, as he generally champions the cause of little-known up-and-coming acts.  The outfit's lead singer Jim Adkins is well into his forties, with his band already having a 26 year/9 album back story to their name.

They were entertaining enough I suppose, but most of their stuff was a bit too US AOR for my tastes.  The exceptions were Bleed America and the set-closer The Middle, each of which housed a pleasing late 70s new wave vibe to them.

*There were actually two support acts, and to my chagrin, I was unable to get through to Glasgow to catch Grace Petrie, whom I had really wanted to see.  Next time, Grace.  Honest. 

Jim Adkins

Jimmy Eat World

Glasgow O2 Academy.