EVEN those unfamiliar with Frank Turner would find it hard not to get caught up when they see his live show.

It is almost transcendental experience; a room full of impassioned people singing emphatically, anthemically, punching their hands in their air. The very hard to please might feel left out not knowing the words, but not for long.

This show at the (new-ish) 02 Academy was a collaborative affair with the support acts, both Crazy Arm and Chuck Ragan, joining Turner onstage at some point (and all at once for an impressive rendition of Ragan’s The Revival Song).

Former Hot Water Music frontman Ragan, who I last saw at Reading Festival last summer, is an incredible talent. It was shame that the commercial crowd (“Radio One told us to come see Frank Turner, so we’ve come to see Frank Turner”) paid him little attention.

Ragan is, like Turner, on a mission to remind people how powerful a simple song can be, and he deserves to be heard. His honest lyrics and country-tinged melodies (Glory and The Book) were lost amongst the chatter of the crowd, but maybe I was just standing in the wrong place. The new Acamedy is a fab venue, but low ceilings will have an affect on the sound.

On to Turner’s headline performance and it was blindingly good. The first few bars of Photosythesies were enough to whip fans into a frenzy. And who can blame them. I’d mentioned the commercial crowd, but not scathingly. There is nothing wrong (quite the opposite, in fact) of going to see live music on the recommendation of a mainstream DJ. Kudos to those who do. They certainly know the words and, as Turner himself showed, everyone loves to sing along.

The set lulled a little in the middle, but nothing could detract from Turner’s stand-out songs - The Ballard of Me and My Friends, Long Live the Queen, and a beautiful new song, Rock and Roll Romance.

He is a modern poet and his punky English folk clearly strikes a chord with music lovers.

  • www.myspace.com/frankturner
  • www.myspace.com/chuckragan
  • www.myspace.com/crazyarm