Frank Turner / Koo Koo Kanga Roo

Gig season is upon us one again and shock, horror Frank Turner is hitting the road hard. Turner and his band The Sleeping Souls are one of the hardest working bands around and are rarely sat at home. Tonight's show at the UEA LCR in Norwich is the first night of a mammoth tour in which Turner returns to smaller venues across the country.

Don't let Turner hear you call these venues small however as he is very quick to point out that these are large venues compared to where he started out (Turner reels off local names such as The Marquee, The Queen Charlotte and The Ferryboat much to the delight of the sold out crowd). These shows are however smaller than his previous treks as in recent years Turner has filled the likes of London's Wembley and O2 Arenas.

This summer also saw Turner emerge as a bonafide festival headliner, topping the bill at the likes of Larmer Tree, Wakestock, Standon Calling, Kendal Calling, Y-Not and the new OnBlackheath festival this weekend. Yes Turner is far from a small fish anymore which helps create a real sense of intimacy tonight, hence the dubbing of these venues as "small".

As you would expect this tour is predominately sold out and the LCR is already packed tight as our support "band" emerge. The term band is used loosely when I describe Americans Koo Koo Kanga Roo who Turner has hand selected to open the shows on this tour. When Turner describes this dancing duo he encapsulates the thoughts of the crowd perfectly. Turner reminisces on his first encounter by saying he first thought "what's this rubbish" but by the end of their set he was dancing along like a madman.

Tonight's audience react somewhat the same and any early scepticism is soon converted to the joyous flailing of body parts. Koo Koo Kanga Roo may have been a leftfield choice to open these shows, but with performances and crowd reactions like this they will go down a treat on this tour.

By this point there is a real party atmosphere in the venue and when Frank Turner walks out on stage the crowd erupts. Turner and co launch straight into 'Try This At Home' and 'If Ever I Stray' to the delight of the crowd. As I've mentioned Turner likes to tour and has perfected his craft over a number of years. Turner knows how to please his crowd and he does so with ease tonight.

Following on from this tour Turner will set about recording album number six and it appears that he already has some crackers ready to go. Tonight Turner debuts no fewer than five new songs including the quirky but catchy 'Josephine' and the lovely 'Mittens'. 'Out Of Breath', 'The Next Storm' and 'The Angel Islington' round of the new tracks, all of which are warmly received by Turner's fanatical fanbase.

Tonight fans old and new are treated to a selection of Turner classics from across his career, even as far back as his time in cult post-hardcore favourites Million Dead as he resurrects 'Smiling At Strangers On Trains' following fans requests. Whether with The Sleeping Souls or solo, whether playing the faster or the slower numbers, Turner is always captivating and his fans are always appreciative and these combined make Turner's shows a must see.

Turner has come a long way from The Ferryboat in Norwich and whilst concluding the evening with fan favourites 'I Still Believe' and 'Four Simple Words' he proves himself as simply a talented musician. Be it in a tiny club, as a festival headliner, selling out Wembley Arena or here at the UEA in Norwich, Turner does one thing and that's entertain.