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Wrote this a while ago, but forgot to post it!
Kicking off the night at Shepherds Bush Empire is Beans on Toast, one man and a guitar, who has a penchant for gratuitous swearing and slightly comical social commentary (a semi-rant about Tesco putting up their Christmas decorations so early leads into a song about... Tesco's being open on Christmas day – which is funnier than it sounds). He also has a gruff voice. Very gruff. Smoking ten packs of Benson & Hedges and downing a couple of bottles of JD a day gruff. This sets him aside from most singer / songwriters and their guitars. Halfway through the set he is joined by two friends, one Russell Brand lookalike brandishing an accordion, and another with a small handheld mixer with which he 'scratches' the backing track and suchlike, while Mr Beans on Toast raps. Most of the crowd seem somewhat perplexed by this change of style and it certainly wouldn't be wowing any hip-hop fans, but it's an amusing enough diversion. Thankfully it was only for three songs – by the end the joke was starting to wear thin, and then it was back to acoustic guitar and singing for the final couple of songs. Not a bad start to the evening although I doubt the vocals would be to everyone's liking and it's certainly not something that's going to appeal to a wide audience.
The second act is Fake Problems, this time a full band, but I get the impression they don't wow very many people – the crowd seems pretty static and although the venue is filling up the reaction seems colder than Beans on Toast previously. In stark contrast to Beans, there's little between song chat and they just don't really seem to connect, their indie mixed with hard rock and a dash of country falling flat. To their credit the band are very energetic and play & sing with passion, but it didn't seem to rub off on the audience, and really I felt they just didn't have the songs to impress. By the last song I was heading to the bar to avoid the post-band rush.
At this point it's worth noting our surroundings. By the time Frank Turner is due out on stage the sold out venue is packed, literally to the rafters. The ground floor is heaving and the three levels of balcony's are also suitably cosy in anticipation of Mr. Turner. This was the first gig I've ever been to where I was in a seated area – most gigs I go to don't have seating at all, let alone a balcony, so this was quite a new experience for me and thankfully I didn't feel too disconnected from the action, although I was slightly embarrassed at having to squeeze past two somewhat elderly ladies sat next to me every time I needed to make a trip to the bar / bathroom. The audience here was pretty diverse too, from young kids with their parents to aforementioned elderly ladies, smartly dressed couples and guys in business suits to fashionable students and I even spotted a mohawk or two. Such is Franks broad appeal, and probably the effects of recent heavy airplay of some of his singles.
For those not familiar with Frank Turner, he plays a blend of acoustic folk rock which is influenced by his youth in the punk rock scene (a number of his songs make references to punk rock and punk bands). He has also built up a rabid die-hard fan base from extensive touring and gigging, and has recently been making it 'big' with a US tour with The Offspring (which seems quite an odd pairing really). When he arrives to rapturous applause he dives straight into 'Live Fast, Die Old', the opening track off his latest offering 'Poetry of the Deed'. This is one of my favourites from the new album, a great uplifting chorus and some good use of keyboard along with the spiky guitar makes this a real winner. Before pausing for breath it's straight in with 'The Road', the first single from the new album and a sure fire way to get the crowd geared up just in case his first offering wasn't enough. It's another crowd pleaser and has everyone singing along, and we're three songs in before he greets the crowd. From then on in the crowd love every second, and Frank takes songs from his entire back catalogue as well as some things that aren't even in there – throwing in a cover of 'Smiling at Strangers on Trains' (originally by his former, now defunct, punk & hardcore band Million Dead), as well as a traditional English folk song 'Barbara Allan', which just consisted of Frank singing with no instruments at all, showcasing that he does have a brilliant voice even without thousands of fans shouting along or a full backing band. There are other songs which feature just Frank and a guitar, such as 'Dan's Song', although he is accompanied by a friend with a harmonica. Whether singing quieter songs such as 'The Real Damage' or more raucous tracks the common thread here is that just about every song has a huge, brilliant chorus that never fails to get the crowd singing along, and everyone seems to be happy with this arrangement.
As he closes with the somewhat sombre and heartfelt 'Journey of Magi' there seems to be a genuine air of sadness, although it's short-lived as he reappears with an encore consisting of three sure-fire favourites – 'The Ballad of Me and My Friends', which featured on his first album and never fails to get the hairs on the back of my neck tingling as the crowd pitches in to sing the brilliant line “We're definitely going to Hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell!”. Then his backing band reappear and they blaze their way through a stomping rendition of 'Reasons Not To Be An Idiot', before the finale of another old single, 'Photosynthesis', which included Franks manager stage diving into the crowd as he had lost a years old bet that Frank would never sell out a 2,000 capacity venue. For me it's not the best song to end with (it's still very good!), but it's a fitting end to the evening. Frank is never going to keep everyone happy – he has released three albums on top of his debut EP, and there are no bad songs among them. A few average, a few which you can take or leave, but most are great. So squeezing everyone's favourites into a gig just isn't possible, but this one ticked all the right boxes, some pure acoustic, some full backing band, a few sombre tunes, but mostly the more upbeat and raucous songs to leave everyone smiling and singing. All in all, a brilliant gig and it's great to see so many people turn out, and such a diverse crowd.
Kicking off the night at Shepherds Bush Empire is Beans on Toast, one man and a guitar, who has a penchant for gratuitous swearing and slightly comical social commentary (a semi-rant about Tesco putting up their Christmas decorations so early leads into a song about... Tesco's being open on Christmas day – which is funnier than it sounds). He also has a gruff voice. Very gruff. Smoking ten packs of Benson & Hedges and downing a couple of bottles of JD a day gruff. This sets him aside from most singer / songwriters and their guitars. Halfway through the set he is joined by two friends, one Russell Brand lookalike brandishing an accordion, and another with a small handheld mixer with which he 'scratches' the backing track and suchlike, while Mr Beans on Toast raps. Most of the crowd seem somewhat perplexed by this change of style and it certainly wouldn't be wowing any hip-hop fans, but it's an amusing enough diversion. Thankfully it was only for three songs – by the end the joke was starting to wear thin, and then it was back to acoustic guitar and singing for the final couple of songs. Not a bad start to the evening although I doubt the vocals would be to everyone's liking and it's certainly not something that's going to appeal to a wide audience.
The second act is Fake Problems, this time a full band, but I get the impression they don't wow very many people – the crowd seems pretty static and although the venue is filling up the reaction seems colder than Beans on Toast previously. In stark contrast to Beans, there's little between song chat and they just don't really seem to connect, their indie mixed with hard rock and a dash of country falling flat. To their credit the band are very energetic and play & sing with passion, but it didn't seem to rub off on the audience, and really I felt they just didn't have the songs to impress. By the last song I was heading to the bar to avoid the post-band rush.
At this point it's worth noting our surroundings. By the time Frank Turner is due out on stage the sold out venue is packed, literally to the rafters. The ground floor is heaving and the three levels of balcony's are also suitably cosy in anticipation of Mr. Turner. This was the first gig I've ever been to where I was in a seated area – most gigs I go to don't have seating at all, let alone a balcony, so this was quite a new experience for me and thankfully I didn't feel too disconnected from the action, although I was slightly embarrassed at having to squeeze past two somewhat elderly ladies sat next to me every time I needed to make a trip to the bar / bathroom. The audience here was pretty diverse too, from young kids with their parents to aforementioned elderly ladies, smartly dressed couples and guys in business suits to fashionable students and I even spotted a mohawk or two. Such is Franks broad appeal, and probably the effects of recent heavy airplay of some of his singles.
For those not familiar with Frank Turner, he plays a blend of acoustic folk rock which is influenced by his youth in the punk rock scene (a number of his songs make references to punk rock and punk bands). He has also built up a rabid die-hard fan base from extensive touring and gigging, and has recently been making it 'big' with a US tour with The Offspring (which seems quite an odd pairing really). When he arrives to rapturous applause he dives straight into 'Live Fast, Die Old', the opening track off his latest offering 'Poetry of the Deed'. This is one of my favourites from the new album, a great uplifting chorus and some good use of keyboard along with the spiky guitar makes this a real winner. Before pausing for breath it's straight in with 'The Road', the first single from the new album and a sure fire way to get the crowd geared up just in case his first offering wasn't enough. It's another crowd pleaser and has everyone singing along, and we're three songs in before he greets the crowd. From then on in the crowd love every second, and Frank takes songs from his entire back catalogue as well as some things that aren't even in there – throwing in a cover of 'Smiling at Strangers on Trains' (originally by his former, now defunct, punk & hardcore band Million Dead), as well as a traditional English folk song 'Barbara Allan', which just consisted of Frank singing with no instruments at all, showcasing that he does have a brilliant voice even without thousands of fans shouting along or a full backing band. There are other songs which feature just Frank and a guitar, such as 'Dan's Song', although he is accompanied by a friend with a harmonica. Whether singing quieter songs such as 'The Real Damage' or more raucous tracks the common thread here is that just about every song has a huge, brilliant chorus that never fails to get the crowd singing along, and everyone seems to be happy with this arrangement.
As he closes with the somewhat sombre and heartfelt 'Journey of Magi' there seems to be a genuine air of sadness, although it's short-lived as he reappears with an encore consisting of three sure-fire favourites – 'The Ballad of Me and My Friends', which featured on his first album and never fails to get the hairs on the back of my neck tingling as the crowd pitches in to sing the brilliant line “We're definitely going to Hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell!”. Then his backing band reappear and they blaze their way through a stomping rendition of 'Reasons Not To Be An Idiot', before the finale of another old single, 'Photosynthesis', which included Franks manager stage diving into the crowd as he had lost a years old bet that Frank would never sell out a 2,000 capacity venue. For me it's not the best song to end with (it's still very good!), but it's a fitting end to the evening. Frank is never going to keep everyone happy – he has released three albums on top of his debut EP, and there are no bad songs among them. A few average, a few which you can take or leave, but most are great. So squeezing everyone's favourites into a gig just isn't possible, but this one ticked all the right boxes, some pure acoustic, some full backing band, a few sombre tunes, but mostly the more upbeat and raucous songs to leave everyone smiling and singing. All in all, a brilliant gig and it's great to see so many people turn out, and such a diverse crowd.
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Wrote this a while ago, but forgot to post it!
Kicking off the night at Shepherds Bush Empire is Beans on Toast, one man and a guitar, who has a penchant for gratuitous swearing and slightly comical social commentary (a semi-rant about Tesco putting up their Christmas decorations so early leads into a song about... Tesco's being open on Christmas day – which is funnier than it sounds). He also has a gruff voice. Very gruff. Smoking ten packs of Benson & Hedges and downing a couple of bottles of JD a day gruff. This sets him aside from most singer / songwriters and their guitars. Halfway through the set he is joined by two friends, one Russell Brand lookalike brandishing an accordion, and another with a small handheld mixer with which he 'scratches' the backing track and suchlike, while Mr Beans on Toast raps. Most of the crowd seem somewhat perplexed by this change of style and it certainly wouldn't be wowing any hip-hop fans, but it's an amusing enough diversion. Thankfully it was only for three songs – by the end the joke was starting to wear thin, and then it was back to acoustic guitar and singing for the final couple of songs. Not a bad start to the evening although I doubt the vocals would be to everyone's liking and it's certainly not something that's going to appeal to a wide audience.
The second act is Fake Problems, this time a full band, but I get the impression they don't wow very many people – the crowd seems pretty static and although the venue is filling up the reaction seems colder than Beans on Toast previously. In stark contrast to Beans, there's little between song chat and they just don't really seem to connect, their indie mixed with hard rock and a dash of country falling flat. To their credit the band are very energetic and play & sing with passion, but it didn't seem to rub off on the audience, and really I felt they just didn't have the songs to impress. By the last song I was heading to the bar to avoid the post-band rush.
At this point it's worth noting our surroundings. By the time Frank Turner is due out on stage the sold out venue is packed, literally to the rafters. The ground floor is heaving and the three levels of balcony's are also suitably cosy in anticipation of Mr. Turner. This was the first gig I've ever been to where I was in a seated area – most gigs I go to don't have seating at all, let alone a balcony, so this was quite a new experience for me and thankfully I didn't feel too disconnected from the action, although I was slightly embarrassed at having to squeeze past two somewhat elderly ladies sat next to me every time I needed to make a trip to the bar / bathroom. The audience here was pretty diverse too, from young kids with their parents to aforementioned elderly ladies, smartly dressed couples and guys in business suits to fashionable students and I even spotted a mohawk or two. Such is Franks broad appeal, and probably the effects of recent heavy airplay of some of his singles.
For those not familiar with Frank Turner, he plays a blend of acoustic folk rock which is influenced by his youth in the punk rock scene (a number of his songs make references to punk rock and punk bands). He has also built up a rabid die-hard fan base from extensive touring and gigging, and has recently been making it 'big' with a US tour with The Offspring (which seems quite an odd pairing really). When he arrives to rapturous applause he dives straight into 'Live Fast, Die Old', the opening track off his latest offering 'Poetry of the Deed'. This is one of my favourites from the new album, a great uplifting chorus and some good use of keyboard along with the spiky guitar makes this a real winner. Before pausing for breath it's straight in with 'The Road', the first single from the new album and a sure fire way to get the crowd geared up just in case his first offering wasn't enough. It's another crowd pleaser and has everyone singing along, and we're three songs in before he greets the crowd. From then on in the crowd love every second, and Frank takes songs from his entire back catalogue as well as some things that aren't even in there – throwing in a cover of 'Smiling at Strangers on Trains' (originally by his former, now defunct, punk & hardcore band Million Dead), as well as a traditional English folk song 'Barbara Allan', which just consisted of Frank singing with no instruments at all, showcasing that he does have a brilliant voice even without thousands of fans shouting along or a full backing band. There are other songs which feature just Frank and a guitar, such as 'Dan's Song', although he is accompanied by a friend with a harmonica. Whether singing quieter songs such as 'The Real Damage' or more raucous tracks the common thread here is that just about every song has a huge, brilliant chorus that never fails to get the crowd singing along, and everyone seems to be happy with this arrangement.
As he closes with the somewhat sombre and heartfelt 'Journey of Magi' there seems to be a genuine air of sadness, although it's short-lived as he reappears with an encore consisting of three sure-fire favourites – 'The Ballad of Me and My Friends', which featured on his first album and never fails to get the hairs on the back of my neck tingling as the crowd pitches in to sing the brilliant line “We're definitely going to Hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell!”. Then his backing band reappear and they blaze their way through a stomping rendition of 'Reasons Not To Be An Idiot', before the finale of another old single, 'Photosynthesis', which included Franks manager stage diving into the crowd as he had lost a years old bet that Frank would never sell out a 2,000 capacity venue. For me it's not the best song to end with (it's still very good!), but it's a fitting end to the evening. Frank is never going to keep everyone happy – he has released three albums on top of his debut EP, and there are no bad songs among them. A few average, a few which you can take or leave, but most are great. So squeezing everyone's favourites into a gig just isn't possible, but this one ticked all the right boxes, some pure acoustic, some full backing band, a few sombre tunes, but mostly the more upbeat and raucous songs to leave everyone smiling and singing. All in all, a brilliant gig and it's great to see so many people turn out, and such a diverse crowd.
Kicking off the night at Shepherds Bush Empire is Beans on Toast, one man and a guitar, who has a penchant for gratuitous swearing and slightly comical social commentary (a semi-rant about Tesco putting up their Christmas decorations so early leads into a song about... Tesco's being open on Christmas day – which is funnier than it sounds). He also has a gruff voice. Very gruff. Smoking ten packs of Benson & Hedges and downing a couple of bottles of JD a day gruff. This sets him aside from most singer / songwriters and their guitars. Halfway through the set he is joined by two friends, one Russell Brand lookalike brandishing an accordion, and another with a small handheld mixer with which he 'scratches' the backing track and suchlike, while Mr Beans on Toast raps. Most of the crowd seem somewhat perplexed by this change of style and it certainly wouldn't be wowing any hip-hop fans, but it's an amusing enough diversion. Thankfully it was only for three songs – by the end the joke was starting to wear thin, and then it was back to acoustic guitar and singing for the final couple of songs. Not a bad start to the evening although I doubt the vocals would be to everyone's liking and it's certainly not something that's going to appeal to a wide audience.
The second act is Fake Problems, this time a full band, but I get the impression they don't wow very many people – the crowd seems pretty static and although the venue is filling up the reaction seems colder than Beans on Toast previously. In stark contrast to Beans, there's little between song chat and they just don't really seem to connect, their indie mixed with hard rock and a dash of country falling flat. To their credit the band are very energetic and play & sing with passion, but it didn't seem to rub off on the audience, and really I felt they just didn't have the songs to impress. By the last song I was heading to the bar to avoid the post-band rush.
At this point it's worth noting our surroundings. By the time Frank Turner is due out on stage the sold out venue is packed, literally to the rafters. The ground floor is heaving and the three levels of balcony's are also suitably cosy in anticipation of Mr. Turner. This was the first gig I've ever been to where I was in a seated area – most gigs I go to don't have seating at all, let alone a balcony, so this was quite a new experience for me and thankfully I didn't feel too disconnected from the action, although I was slightly embarrassed at having to squeeze past two somewhat elderly ladies sat next to me every time I needed to make a trip to the bar / bathroom. The audience here was pretty diverse too, from young kids with their parents to aforementioned elderly ladies, smartly dressed couples and guys in business suits to fashionable students and I even spotted a mohawk or two. Such is Franks broad appeal, and probably the effects of recent heavy airplay of some of his singles.
For those not familiar with Frank Turner, he plays a blend of acoustic folk rock which is influenced by his youth in the punk rock scene (a number of his songs make references to punk rock and punk bands). He has also built up a rabid die-hard fan base from extensive touring and gigging, and has recently been making it 'big' with a US tour with The Offspring (which seems quite an odd pairing really). When he arrives to rapturous applause he dives straight into 'Live Fast, Die Old', the opening track off his latest offering 'Poetry of the Deed'. This is one of my favourites from the new album, a great uplifting chorus and some good use of keyboard along with the spiky guitar makes this a real winner. Before pausing for breath it's straight in with 'The Road', the first single from the new album and a sure fire way to get the crowd geared up just in case his first offering wasn't enough. It's another crowd pleaser and has everyone singing along, and we're three songs in before he greets the crowd. From then on in the crowd love every second, and Frank takes songs from his entire back catalogue as well as some things that aren't even in there – throwing in a cover of 'Smiling at Strangers on Trains' (originally by his former, now defunct, punk & hardcore band Million Dead), as well as a traditional English folk song 'Barbara Allan', which just consisted of Frank singing with no instruments at all, showcasing that he does have a brilliant voice even without thousands of fans shouting along or a full backing band. There are other songs which feature just Frank and a guitar, such as 'Dan's Song', although he is accompanied by a friend with a harmonica. Whether singing quieter songs such as 'The Real Damage' or more raucous tracks the common thread here is that just about every song has a huge, brilliant chorus that never fails to get the crowd singing along, and everyone seems to be happy with this arrangement.
As he closes with the somewhat sombre and heartfelt 'Journey of Magi' there seems to be a genuine air of sadness, although it's short-lived as he reappears with an encore consisting of three sure-fire favourites – 'The Ballad of Me and My Friends', which featured on his first album and never fails to get the hairs on the back of my neck tingling as the crowd pitches in to sing the brilliant line “We're definitely going to Hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell!”. Then his backing band reappear and they blaze their way through a stomping rendition of 'Reasons Not To Be An Idiot', before the finale of another old single, 'Photosynthesis', which included Franks manager stage diving into the crowd as he had lost a years old bet that Frank would never sell out a 2,000 capacity venue. For me it's not the best song to end with (it's still very good!), but it's a fitting end to the evening. Frank is never going to keep everyone happy – he has released three albums on top of his debut EP, and there are no bad songs among them. A few average, a few which you can take or leave, but most are great. So squeezing everyone's favourites into a gig just isn't possible, but this one ticked all the right boxes, some pure acoustic, some full backing band, a few sombre tunes, but mostly the more upbeat and raucous songs to leave everyone smiling and singing. All in all, a brilliant gig and it's great to see so many people turn out, and such a diverse crowd.