FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS, PET NEEDS & TRUCKSTOP HONEYMOON
The headliners weren’t for Pavlis but the supports were AMAZING.
Tony Moore
I’ll be honest, I am not a a fan of Frank Turner. So why am I at the LCR tonight? Simple: I bloody LOVE Pet Needs. Now I’ve got that out of the the way, onto tonight’s music.
Opening proceedings are the thoroughly enjoyable TRUCKSTOP HONEYMOON. The husband and wife duo of Miss Katie on doghouse (double) bass and Mike on banjo/guitar originally formed in New Orleans but have been based in Kentucky since the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. The music mixes bluegrass with country, blues and a dash of good ol’ fashioned rockabilly. Whilst it is mostly upbeat stuff, Georgia and Blue is an utterly tear-jerking tale about the couple’s old neighbours from NOLA. Bad Attitude borders on burlesque and Dolly Parton Has Sleeve Tattoos is as laugh-aloud funny as the title suggests. Between songs, Mike in particular is a good humoured, self-depreciating, engaging raconteur and a chat at the merch stall - about Crass of all things - suggests he is a thoroughly good chap. Highly recommended.
I fell in love with PET NEEDS when I caught the last two and a bit songs of their set at BSE Rock City’s Washing Machine’s 10th Birthday Party almost a year ago. Debut album Fractured Party Music - purchased that night - became an instant favourite but a combination of bad timing and other commitments meant I haven’t seen ‘em since. My expectations are high but, from opener Lost Again to closer Get On the Roof, they do not disappoint. Vocalist Johnny is a force of nature. Drummer Jack spends almost as much time stood up as sat down. George’s guitar playing manages the neat trick of being punky, bluesey, noisy and melodic. Rich is left handed but plays a right handed bass upside down and without it being restrung which, for a gear nerd like me, is fascinating to watch. Playing the amazing Tracey Emin's Bed as the second song is a brave move but the likes of Spin Cycle, Punk Isn't Dead, Ibiza in Winter and Overcompensating are pretty damned fine too. New album Primetime Entertainment is a corker but it is live where Pet Needs really shine.
And so to FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS. As I have already said, I am not here for the headliners but I am duty bound to pass comment. In this room, tonight, I suspect 1,549 people love Turner and I am in a minority of one. Well, music is a very personal thing and I am used to that but, much as I tried to get into it, Turner did nowt for me. I get the appeal: huge sounding, anthemic folk-punk that could almost b an English Springsteen and the E-Street band; lots of chat about community; an invitation to circle-mosh after just two songs; the band is as tight as a very tight thing indeed; Turner seems like a good egg. But, for me, it is all a little hollow, dare I say a case of style over substance? Look, I don’t want to be horrible about any musician, I am not trying to be controversial for the sake of it. If I want a dose of punked-up folk, I’ll go see Tim Loud or Roughneck Riot or Black Water County. Having given Turner 45 minutes, I just didn’t get it and headed to NAC to catch Lemondaze and bdrmm instead. But that is another story for someone else to tell.
