Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls: Tales From No Man's Land
Opening to a more than usually buzzed audience by any Tuesday night standards, Emily Barker’s support set featured soul-souring vocals taking Country & Western music to an exciting new place. Quite fittingly as it turned out The Australian singer-songwriter set the tone for an evening of pure Frank Turner ear-joy with genre-bending covers spanning centuries and continents…
Taking to the roads once more in now his 21st year of touring, this exciting 2 part performance comes hot on the heels of Frank Turner’s new album, 'Tales From No Man’s Land'. Promising an evening brim-full of stories; from the plight of a Byzantine princess to Sister Rosetta, the birth-mother of rock, we were treated to the true tales of women whose incredible feats and struggles deserve to be remembered (and have for the most part gone overlooked due to their gender). Mr. Turner duly delivered each fascinating herstory with a relaxed and easy manner – which made for an unusually cosy atmosphere as the audience settled down in their lovely red velvety chairs - a little unsure at first of how to “not stand at a rock show” - to hear Tales From No Man’s Land. His first number, 'Jinny Bingham’s Ghost' conjured vividly the disposable nature of women (especially those that dared to show an independent spirit). As doomed Jinny rids herself of the violent men in her life (using a variety of imaginative and totally justified assassinations), all the while providing charity to the waifs of Camden Town, her kindness is repaid by her eventual demise in the witch’s noose in this wistful folk-rock tribute. Be prepared for some unifying singalongs in this first feel-good half.
Joining him on stage in the second half of the show, The Sleeping Souls helped shake off the comfortable reverie with an energectic re-imaging of each song- or as Turner put it, his “old rubbish [or more explicit alternative!]”- to a very enthusiastic something-eating audience! One of the set's highlights in particular was the delicious whiskey-misted Rockabilly-infused cover of “Reasons Not To Be An Idiot” which was worth the price of the ticket alone for the experience of suddenly being plunged into a Wild West Cowboy's Saloon. The simplified backdrops with logos were ingeniously designed to pair flexibly with the light show, disappearing or reflecting as needed. As a show it was full of old favourites, new anthems and a fantastic lightshow that even 'Europe' could be envious of.
Reviewer - Natalie Bowers
on - 26/11/19
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