A song by comedian/songwriter Tim Minchin claims that ‘nothing ruins comedy like arenas’.
It could be presumed that this rule would also apply to some music. Folk for example, might not have the balls or in-your-face loudness to make an impact in such a huge, cavernous space. You might then have been forgiven for being slightly skeptical when Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls announced their first ever UK arena tour late last year. Turner’s stock was certainly rising, with his 2013 album Tape Deck Heart charting at number two in the official UK chart, and a performance at the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony to his name, but an arena tour seemed a step too far.
Turner himself addressed the size of the venue on several occasions, suggesting that his songs had not been written to be performed in such a room, but proudly declared that the gig was the biggest headline show of his career (the O2 will take that crown later this week). However, the hardcore punk-turned-folk star stepped up to the plate, performing with the charm and energy which has made him the household name he is now becoming.
On his 1525th live performance, the hardest working man in music launched into the set with fan favourite ‘Photosynthesis’, which saw a large portion of the standing crowd sitting down, before jumping up all at once for the climatic final chorus. It was the perfect moment to begin the set, however felt as though this feeling was exclusive to only the front third of the crowd, with the rest of the arena standing arms folded. This was mirrored throughout the first part of the set, which included tracks such as ‘Peggy Sang The Blues’ and ‘Try This At Home’. The performance was tight, but the spark to ignite the flame making the show truly special was not yet there.
The turning point came with atheist anthem ‘Glory Hallelujah’, which saw the crowd of thousands singing the lyric ‘there is no God’ in perfect harmony, with the anti-religious message ironically providing the first moment of real togetherness in the set. From that moment on, the momentum hurtled on like a runaway train with the full-speed-ahead rock and roller ‘Reasons Not To Be An Idiot’, and latest single ‘Polaroid Picture’. Sentimental home town homage ‘Wessex Boy’ provided a touching moment, showing that in spite of his growing fame, Turner hasn’t forgotten his roots, dedicating the song to his sister and brother-in-law both in attendance.
The sheer number of singalong hits such as ‘The Road’ and ‘I Still Believe’ included in the set illustrated that although his songs are rooted in punk and underground folk, Frank Turner was born for nights like this. In a night filled with special moments such as Turner submerging himself in the crowd, and an anthemic rendition of 2013 single ‘Recovery’, the 32 year old from Winchester showed his arena credentials, proving his skeptics (this writer included) completely wrong. He even threw in some pyrotechnics. Arenas might ruin comedy, but Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls are in no danger of the scale of their success detracting from their music.
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