Frank Turner - Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff - February 6 2014 (Live Review)
Friday, 07 February 2014
Written by Huw Baines
Towards the end of his set, Frank Turner asks the crowd at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena if they recall Bar Tantra, the venue for his first solo show in the city almost a decade ago. It’s safe to say that very few of the thousands gathered for the start of his maiden arena tour remember the place, and safer still to assume that even fewer were present.
There’s a more audible response when he makes reference to a stop at Clwb Ifor Bach, a few arms in the air for Swansea and a pretty decent roar when he gets to the Newport Centre, which he visited just prior to making the step up to headlining Wembley Arena in 2012. The foundations of this particular occasion, then, are plain to see.
Turner made reference to Simon Cowell and his get-rich-quick empire from the stage that night and a couple of years on, his rise - through playing a lot of shows and releasing good records - is still one of the exceptions that prove the rule.
But, with that said, Turner has been set up to play rooms of this size from the start. There has been no dynamic shift in style to precipitate a surge in popularity, or alienate an existing fanbase, as tonight’s setlist proves.
The approving noise for Photosynthesis, the opening song, is replicated for Try This At Home, Eulogy and Recovery. Even Wisdom Teeth, taken from his debut, ‘Sleep Is For The Week’, is enthusiastically belted back at him.
While introducing Polaroid Picture - the title track of his recent EP and one of the highlights of ‘Tape Deck Heart’ - Turner picks up on its theme of bucking against nostalgia, of living for the now. For him, that means embracing big venues, new fans and greater scrutiny. That doesn’t seem to be a problem though and, as he says at one point, these shows are about inclusivity more than anything else.
So, yes, a sizable portion of his crowds these days haven’t heard a Million Dead record, and many won’t make the connection between his logo and New York hardcore. But, when everyone’s enjoying themselves this much, does that really matter?
His approach to headlining arenas is straight from the Springsteen playbook: pick a good set, play with a great band - the Sleeping Souls are now a tight unit - and give it your best shot, even if, as he admits, it’s knackering. Turner has recently expressed a desire to headline Reading and Leeds and, given his seemingly inexorable rise in recent years, why the hell shouldn’t he be able to?
Fri February 07 2014 - NOTTINGHAM Capital FM Arena
Sat February 08 2014 - EDINBURGH Corn Exchange
Sun February 09 2014 - MANCHESTER Phones 4u Arena
Tue February 11 2014 - PLYMOUTH Pavillions
Wed February 12 2014 - LONDON O2 Arena
Thu February 13 2014 - PORTSMOUTH Guildhall
Fri February 14 2014 - WINCHESTER Guildhall
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