Frank Turner / Ed Harcourt / Dive Dive

There were concerns at the beginning of the night as to the size of the venue not being enough for the size of the reputation Frank Turner has carved for himself over the past seven years of gigging. His motto of 'always on tour' has just seen his fairly recent return from a stint in the US supporting Social Distortion but Frank has already shaken off the jetlag and embraced the now familiar headline slot without flaw. A chance to showcase some of his new material alongside a set list full of rousing hits, the size of the venue just gives fans a chance to experience that much more of Frank.

Dive Dive provide an upbeat start to the evening. The Oxford quartet are determined to make a name for themselves rather than just being known as 'Frank Turner's backing band' and tonight they achieve that goal, blowing the already packed Sheffield Plug away with a huge sound. The band arrive on the back of the release of their new single 'Liar' and we're hearing good things about this band, and although fairly unbeknown to the crowd, their songs come off well and gets everybody moving early on. From songs about Planet of the Apes to Getting Married, all have catchy hooks and brilliant solos and they move seamlessly from song to song to a Ramones-esque finish. This band have picked up a few new followers tonight and will be continuing to do so for the rest of the tour.



One-man virtuoso Ed Harcourt has the crowd's full attention for 40 minutes and never ceases to amaze with what instrument he's going to pull out next. Looping the sound of a whole host of instruments including banjos, trombones and the crowd's claps he creates some beautiful melodies with himself that need to be seen to be believed. He showcases songs from his latest album 'Lustre'. Jumping down at the end of his set to high five the front row. He's impressed some old and new fans tonight without even saying a word throughout the entire set.

If Frank Turner was to lead the revolution, it could overthrow any government. Fighting for the sake of common sense and living life to the full, Frank powers the crowd through a mind-blowing set list of blockbusters from the offerings of most recent album 'Poetry of the Deed' to old favourites like 'I Knew Prufrock Before he got Famous'. A firm believer in living life, Frank has been on tour solidly for roughly six and a half years and in that time he's picked up a massive following. This gig really feels like he's giving a tremendous gift to the crowd; the gift of wisdom in the form of upbeat melodies and catchy beats. The list of lyrical advice he dispenses is too long to mention, but listen to the albums and you get a pretty big dose of his fantastic curriculum of having fun. His sound is a mix of poetry set to music and ballads about the joys of growing old.



His band, made up of members of an immaculately dressed Dive Dive exit the stage to give Frank a chance to play some of his more sombre tunes. While some bands might rush through their slower songs to keep the crowd moving and enthralled, Frank takes time over a long absent 'Worst Things Happen at Sea' and a love song off his new EP, 'Rock and Roll Romance' which the crowd receives well and again the size of the venue enhances the sound of one man and his guitar, and the rest of his band join him for the rallying cries of 'Love, Ire and Song'. "If we're stuck on this ship and it's sinking, we might as well have a parade" Frank sings before bursting into the rousing chorus and it feels like the whole of Sheffield Plug is united as one movement.

Frank and his band play a fantastic set from start to finish, with several years of touring under their belt, this is what they do best and they prove that tonight. The new songs blend seamlessly with the older fan favourites and expect to see the atheist's anthem 'Glory Hallelujah' become a permanent inclusion in future shows and 'I Still Believe' will be as successful in the new year as it was at Reading and Leeds Festival this summer.

The crowd can't resist calling for an encore and Frank comes back on stage, grinning to play a closing 'Photosynthesis'. The thing that makes Frank Turner's shows so special is they are as much about the audience as they are about a man and his guitar. Everyone at his gigs are equal, drawn together by Frank's clear cut message. The band and the fans feed off one another, leaping from strength to strength between songs to an exhausting finish which leaves everyone feeling joined with one message: "Life is too short to live without poetry, if you've got soul, darling, now come on and show it me."

Setlist:

Eulogy
Poetry of the Deed
Try This at Home
I Knew Prufrock Before He got Famous
Pain
I Still Believe
Worst Things Happen at Sea
Rock and Roll Romance
Love, Ire and Song
St Christopher is Coming Home
Nashville, Tennessee
Glory Hallelujah
Substitute
The Next Round
Long Live the Queen
Reasons not to be an Idiot
Sons of Liberty

The Ballard of Me and My Friends
Photosynthesis

FUTURE GIGS