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Frank Turner took to the stage with The Sleeping Souls at O2 Academy in Birmingham for the third night of his current UK tour.
They kick-started the set with Eulogy and the audience broke into a massive sing-along. The set was littered with a mix of old and new songs including firm favourites Long Live The Queen and Reasons Not To Be An Idiot.
Frank Turner gigs are rowdy sing-alongs but we were also treated to the more gentle and stunning Nights Become Days and Must Try Harder, which Frank admitted he had to Google the lyrics to, it was so long since he last played it.
The crowd was a massive throng of energy and sang along to every song pausing only for silence when listening attentively to the two fantastic brand new tracks Polaroid Picture and Cowboy Chords.
They rounded off the set with a phenomenal cover of Queen’s Somebody To Love. Quite fitting for the 20th anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s death.
No sooner had they left the stage the crowd stomped and chanted for more: ‘We want Frank! We want Frank!’ He quickly returned for a three-song encore finishing with two anthems The Ballad Of Me And My Friends and Photosynthesis.
During the finale drummer Nigel Powell was replaced at his kit by Jacob, his 13-year-old son who was made more than welcome by the screaming fans.
The final chorus climaxed in a mass of confetti shot from cannons across the cheering crowd.
Australian country-folk quartet Emily Barker And The Red Clay Halo opened proceedings. Frank Turner joined them on stage for a special duet for the incredible Fields Of June (which is available for free download).
Also supporting were Florida punk rockers Against Me! who energetically fired off song after song leaving barely any time for applause and squeezed out every last drop of their 30-minute set with punchy, drum heavy tunes.
Photo © Lara Cullen