By Erin Lee
All images by Erin Lee
Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls brought their signature folk punk to Jannus Live in St Petersburg, FL, last night!
The show started with high energy as Frank and the band played two tracks from Undefeated, his 10th studio album released last month. "No Thank You For the Music" and "The Girl From the Record Shop" got the crowd nice and warmed up before diving into the catalogue with "Get Better," from 2015's Positive Songs For Negative People.
To attend a live Frank Turner performance is to truly live. After over a decade of attending his shows, myself and a friend have affectionately dubbed the experience "Church of Frank." Our religion is finding fellowship with sweaty punks, literally uplifting our crowd-surfing leader, who impressively continues to sing without missing a beat!
As a long-time staple at Frank Turner's shows, I know the rules: "Don't Be a Dick!" and "If you know the words, sing along." Looking at the crowd around me, it seemed everyone else did, too. We dutifully followed instructions to "JUMP JUMP JUMP!" even in the oppressive June heat.
I remarked to a friend about how the setlists have evolved but remained strong: as we've grown up alongside Frank, we've shifted away from themes of heartbreak and leaned into themes of taking care of ourselves and one another through a global pandemic ("Pandemic PTSD") faced our anxiety ("Haven't Been Doing So Well") and worked on overcoming our imposter syndrome ("Somewhere Inbetween.") We've settled into long-term romantic relationships ("Little Life") but refuse to sit idly by when it comes to the state of the world. ("1933").
With age comes wisdom: Before launching into "Do One," Frank took to the microphone to share a story about the song being modeled after advice from his sister about not getting brought down by people who have already made up their minds not to like you.
Even as the group around us lamented about our feet and knees hurting while singing along to the aptly titled "Never Mind the Back Problems," we embodied the collective energy of what makes a Frank Turner show so special: rallying together to collectively reach the finish line.
The relentless drive and passion Frank conveys when performing cannot be understated or stopped: even when his guitar not working properly threatened to put a wrench at the end of the show, he quickly shifted gears, leaving the instrument with his skilled tech as he took the microphone off the stand and continued the show as if nothing had happened.
Winding down for an encore was not an option! Voices singing and shouting "Four Simple Words" filled the air as we joined together to celebrate the scene we've all nurtured and loved so dearly. Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls made it a night to remember.
Here are some videos Erin Lee shot of the show:
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