Review by Alan Steenson for MPM
Valentines weekend…. No date as my other half had better things to do, so a gig is always a great alternative to some ‘hot lovin’!
This weekend my date will be Frank Turner… not necessarily my first choice but this is purely a platonic relationship. Frank Turner has a cult following and has built up a fine back catalogue of 10 solo albums and to say he has a colourful background is an understatement.
Normally social commentary hails from those from a less privileged background but in FT case this couldn’t be further removed as he was from a privileged background schooled at Eaton where he studied along side Prince William. This always stuck out for me as a tad ironic but who am I to say you can’t sing for the common man if you aren’t from that background.
Nevertheless, I have always enjoyed listening to him and despite my misgivings I do enjoy his style and lyrically he is second only to Billy Bragg.
Starting things off tonight were “THE MEFFS”, a punk duo, Lily, on vocals and guitar, and Lewis, on drums, from the opening chord this duo filled the Limelight with a raw, electrifying energy that grabbed hold of the audience.
Their opener, “Stamp It Out,” was a pure punk anthem that made everyone stand up and take notice. Lily’s strong vocals and stage presence were powerful, she strutted across the stage, pulling faces at the mic, this was one hell off an opener
The Meffs rattled through their set with speed, with Deathwish and Breathe, next they kept the momentum going with fan favourite Only human, Lily spoke of people having a bad day and dedicated the song to them and stated things will get better.
Songs like “stand-up”, “so Modern”, and “Clowns “was fast and gritty, while Lewis hammered the drums with the kind of intensity that made it hard to believe there were only two of them up there
By the time they closed with “BBBB,” Limelight 1 was warmed up and ready for Frank Turner
The Limelight was packed to welcome Frank with a set list that covered all his active years first up was The Ballad of me and you and I knew Prufuck with the majority of the crowd instantly knowing the songs showed me how much of a cult following this man has built up over the years.
Some great crowd interaction with Frank requesting participation with I still Believe with a thunderous ending setting up for Do One and the marvellous Try This at Home delivered with such a pace with the crowd bouncing along at the front.
The Next Storm and No Thank You for the Music an angry ode to life was brilliant live. Girl From the Record Shop with its classic line “I’ve been every day buying so much vinyl, Don’t even own my own turntable” putting a smile on my face. 1933 jumped straight in with its’ electric opening with just drums and Franks vocals interspersed with the odd guitar riff until launching as a band into the first chorus sounded brilliant.
I am Disappeared from England Keep my Bones slowed things down, Haven’t Been Doing So Well increased the tempo followed by Plain Sailing Weather slowed down the pace again from Tape Deck Heart album with its wonderful chorus as the band kicked in. The weakest song of the set for me was next Somewhere In between just didn’t hit the heights of the previous songs, Long Live The Queen, St Christopher and Be More Kind were played solo and all had great crowd interaction with that intimate feeling for each and every audience member immersed in Franks words.
The Way I Intend To Be brought us back slowly to a great Americana sounding track, with If Ever I Stray gave us vintage shouting Frank in full voice with “So come on everybody singing 1,2,3,4” joined in on cue by the audience.
Never Mind the Back Problems was next followed by Recovery and Photosynthesis. The final part of the evening gave us Undefeated the slow title track of the album of the same name, a ballad about ageing and life.
The slow pace continued with Polaroid Picture until ‘bam’ midway it hits you with an explosion of sound… a great track slowly building and blowing out any cobwebs for the chorus.
The final two songs of the evening Get Better and Four Simple Words ended an evening that surprised me in terms of crowd interaction and Franks ability to hold a crowd captivated by his music and words in total awe.
All in all as a date night I’ve had better but from a music perspective it couldn’t have been any more enjoyable.
Photography by Darren Mcveigh
