Review: Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls at Astor Theatre

Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls at Astor Theatre
w/ Mom Jeans, Emily Barker
Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Folk-punk fans arrived in droves to the Astor Theatre on Tuesday night for Frank Turner and his band, The Sleeping Souls, for an evening of genre-bending tunes and mild-mannered headbanging.

Unusual for a Tuesday night in Perth, the theatre was reasonably crowded with fans of all ages, beers in hand, who turned out for Turner’s The Never Ending Tour of Everywhere, the UK artist’s biggest Australian headline tour, in support of his latest full-length album FTHC.

For a venue geared to more traditional theatrical shows with a classic seating arrangement, the Astor Theatre was a surprisingly well-suited venue for the show, with the first third of seats removed, creating a spacious dance floor while maintaining important accessible areas at the back for the less dancing inclined. Throughout each of the sets, the sound quality within the venue was also remarkably clear.

Opening the night, Western Australia’s own Emily Barker set the scene with a great variety of hits, including songs from her latest album, A Dark Murmuration of Words.

Following Barker, American rock band Mom Jeans took to the stage with a great selection of modern pop punk bangers, bringing the crowds up from their seats to mosh and dance. Playing hits from their latest album, Sweet Tooth, with its nostalgic-inspired rock anthems, perfectly balancing sincere and involving lyricism with rousing, head-bangable instrumentals, they were a great opening act for Turner, leaving the crowd warmed up and excited.

From the moment of his entrance to the final encore song, Frank Turner’s set was nothing short of exceptional. A true exercise in creating a warm and intimate atmosphere and connecting with the crowd throughout the almost 1.5-hour set, Turner’s sincere stage persona, easy-going comedic style, and enthusiasm for sharing stories and engaging with punters between songs were as interesting as his music itself.

Joined by the four talented members of The Sleeping Souls, Turner played through a variety of classic and newer songs from his expansive repertoire, moving quickly between emotional folk songs, including an ode to a departed friend, and admittedly self-indulgent punk songs. Swaying to intimate acoustic guitar sets before participating in raucous (though still comparatively polite) pit circles, encouraged by Turner, punters enthusiastically participated in the rollercoaster show.

Opening the show with his two ‘rules’: 1. Don’t be a dickhead (an always appreciated message from a performer), and 2. Sing along if you know the words, the show had a strong sense of community and being ‘for everyone’. Even those unfamiliar with Turner’s musical oeuvre found themselves singing along to beloved anthems and harmonising on new tracks after being taught the words and melody by Turner.

Playing songs like Haven’t Been Doing So Well and Get Better, Turner repeatedly talked about his own mental health experiences over the last couple of years and spoke in between songs about the importance of seeking support and help—a refreshing take from a punk musician—and something that strongly resonated with the crowd, who were highly receptive to Turner’s candid interludes.

The Never Ending Tour of Everywhere was altogether a fantastic show, making plain the reason why Frank Turner has enjoyed such a long and successful career in the industry and will endure for decades to come. Fans of the singer were treated to a non-stop night of classic Turner, with the interspersion of new and exciting songs, as well as a night of great stories, personal confessions, and decent jokes. Overall, credit goes to Frank Turner and his excellent band.

BEC WELDON

Photos by Linda Dunjey