Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls

Manchester Academy //Tuesday 12th October 2022

“I wanna see you mosh for true love” a Moshmag review by Stanley D Kippax // Photography by David Dillon

“Hi everyone, I’m Stanley, I work for MoshMag and you what else was it? You want one fact about myself…let me think…oh! I hate audience participation”.

I, like 99% of the rational population, hate audience participation. I can be a right miserable prick if someone is trying to get me to join, but when I’ve paid good money to see someone else preform then I don’t see why I should help. I don’t get magicians (its always magicians isn’t it?) to help me write below average music reviews, so go find someone else to cut in half.

Thankfully when Frank Turner described last night’s gig as a “participation event” he didn’t mean literally… “tonight’s show is a community event”…. “I want you all to have a good time” he extrapolated.

Frank’s songs are particular to him. Each song has a tale that he is more than happy to share and, whilst uniquely Frank Turner, they clearly resonate with his loyal fans. Frank is at his best when the audience are able to get on board, and with a back catalogue as vast as his, Frank takes full advantage. He’s even got a plan for the rare lesser-known songs, enlisting guitarist Matt Nair as “cover” for those who Frank, jokingly, describes as not doing their homework.

Frank talks a lot. He’s a veritable chatter box and this communication with his audience strengthens an already noticeable bond between those in the front row and those on the stage. “Are we on the same team?” Frank excitable enquires. Well the answer to that question was obvious from the moment he stepped on stage and by the time Frank began pirouetting to opener Four Simple Words he had his answer, a resounding yes!

“I wanna see you mosh for true love” he implored the crowd, and with the effort of those near the front, I hope they found it, because they certainly deserved it!

The sense of community is likely down to Frank’s attempts to make his gigs as accessible for everyone. Looking out for one another and no harassment is something Moshmag are very much on board with and we echo his sentiments on this. Everyone should be able to attend a gig and enjoy it in their own way. Though his “no dickheads” policy did create a large amount of paperwork for our back office staff when applying for our photographer’s exemption (only joking Dave…it was actually a really easy process).

Whilst no stranger to the odd controversy, an inevitable consequence of sharing your opinions I suppose (that’s not an invitation for abuse by the way) there is a friendliness to a Frank Turner gig. He looks like he’s enjoying himself and undoubtedly generous with his time. 26 songs and two encores later it can’t be said we didn’t get our money’s worth and Frank’s willingness to play songs old along with the new provided a warm sense familiarity on an unseasonably cold Manchester evening.

If you’ve never seen him before you’ll not have too long to wait before he’s back at a gig venue near you! Be quick though, his early 2023 dates are selling out fast. He’ll undoubtedly be up to his old tricks, if you’re lucky he might even pull a rabbit out of the hat but thankfully, you can rest assured, you won’t be asked to pick a fucking card.

Visit https://frank-turner.com/live-gigs/ to find tickets.

If you haven’t already, go and strap your ears in and listen to Frank Turners latest studio album, FTHC.

Frank Turner’s latest album,”FTHC”, represents a fresh landmark in a career that has already included four Top 5 albums and a total of almost 3000 shows played before a combined audience of over 2 million people, which has spanned everywhere from intimate grassroots venues to cavernous arenas including the O2 and Wembley. Frank Turner’s extensive support of the live music scene during the pandemic saw him play countless livestream benefit shows to raise money and awareness of the importance of small venues all across the country. After raising nearly £300,000, he was awarded the Music Venue Trust’s award for Outstanding Achievement for Grassroots Music

Check out our full gallery below (Click on images to view full size).