I wasn’t sure what atmosphere I would be stepping into when I entered the hallowed halls of Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern on Tuesday night. On the bill (the *free* bill, mind you) was England’s Frank Turner. Going into the show, I unfortunately didn’t know too many people that considered themselves a fan – aside from myself and my friend Tonni, who holds down his record label operation here (Epitaph Records). Needlessly to say, I stepped out of the cold Canadian winter and was pleasantly surprised to see The ‘Shoe packed to the hilt inside — including Frank himself, talking to fans out in the front-bar before the show.
Turner @ The 'Shoe
After the opening band — The Cavaliers — departed the stage, no other equipment was left on-stage aside from an acoustic guitar. It was clear that the fantastic instrumentation found on Frank’s newest record — ‘Poetry Of The Deed’ — was being traded for a personal, true-to-form folk-punk experience. “Folk-punk”…this is exactly the word that fits Frank’s sound; as soon as you become comfortable with a particular Turner folk song, a defiant F-word (other than Frank) is shouted your way to make sure you’re still listening.
On this particular night, everyone was all ears. Frank received a generous show of support from The ‘Shoe crowd. There were definite tried-and-tested fans up front, raising fists and shouting lyrics; while the more new-but-interested attendees stood nearby, taking it all in. Frank was very appreciative of the crowd as a whole, telling everyone how it took him 3 years to build a similar audience back in England, while he had just witnessed more than he expected in Toronto after a scant 3-day visit. Hey, that’s what building a fan-base is all about, right?
Turner wore his heart on his sleeve. He told stories of love-lost in California and Paris; he told of his escapades on tour; he even shared his live experience on stage by requesting the help of a girl from the crowd on harmonica duty (she did well!).
Frank’s life on the road was presented as a very personal one, yet, at the same time was shown to be very up-close and public; his overall musical experience appeared to be very much a shared one — evidenced by all of the house parties he has chosen to play while on the road. To try to explain the motivation behind his actions, I borrow one of Frank’s own lines: “Yes I’m definitely going to hell/But I’ll have all the best stories to tell.”
Frank Turner @ Gibson's
Could it be? A second Frank Turner set in as many days? Epitaph Records was kind enough to throw an intimate get-together with Frank at The Gibson Showroom the very next day. Steam Whistle beer and shots of Jagermeister were offered, and Frank made himself available for a handshake and a chat.
Turner made a conscious effort to switch up his set from the night before. There were a couple of repeats, but this was more than okay as we all had a few laughs, clapped, stomped our feet and sang along to some more great songs.
Turner, performing for a lucky few
The up-close-and-personal nature of this particular performance gave me a few more insights into Frank Turner — not only as an Artist, but also as a person. I got a sense that his music is undoubtedly a source of drive and inspiration, but that music is also a very real thing in his life; it seems almost as if his honest approach and upfront personal declarations take their toll on his body and mind. By his own admission, some element of the previous night’s show had hit him hard emotionally; but hey, in that same show, he also admitted that the cross-Atlantic jetlag had taken its toll on him.
Whatever the case may have been, these two shows proved to be a phenomenal introduction to Frank Turner in a live setting. We have been promised, by Frank, that another trip to Toronto is a must. Based on these two shows, his return will be more than appreciated! Saving that, take a look at your local show listings — where Frank Turner will soon be on tour with Flogging Molly. It will definitely be worth joining him on the road.
…Lastly, should you choose to catch Frank Turner live, it just might look a little like this… 
