Frank Turner at the O2 Guildhall, Southampton REVIEW: 'The evening had an intimate feel'

Frank Turner played his 2427th show at the Southampton Guildhall to showcase his new album No Man’s Land with two contrasting unplugged sets in one night.
Frank Turner at the O2 Guildhall, Southampton on November 25, 2019. Picture by Sarah GerrishFrank Turner at the O2 Guildhall, Southampton on November 25, 2019. Picture by Sarah Gerrish
Frank Turner at the O2 Guildhall, Southampton on November 25, 2019. Picture by Sarah Gerrish

Initially taking to the stage solo, Turner told the stories behind the songs on his latest album – appreciating and honouring the women who inspired him, while throwing in anecdotes from his own life throughout.

Turner was on top form, as he shed light on stories about the ‘Godmother of rock’n’roll’, singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a pioneer who inspired everyone from Chuck Berry to Keith Richards.

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Frank left the stage for a short break before returning with his band, The Sleeping Souls.

Again, a sparsely lit stage gave the evening a more intimate feel and the theme of storytelling continued, as Frank Turner introduced the narrative behind each song.

Set two had songs chosen from his previous eight albums, which really highlights how he obviously finds songwriting an extremely cathartic process which has helped him to work through his personal struggles with love, death and mental health.

However, as the second set progressed, it was nice to hear about Turner’s journey and recovery.

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To finish the show, he played some of his biggest hits such as Photosynthesis, I Still Believe and Recovery.

Although Frank Turner admits to not being the type of singer who has a slogan, but if he did, it would be to encourage everyone to, in the words of his previous album, ‘Be More Kind’ to each other in a world currently filled with so much hate and uncertainty.

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