When this tour was announced the light that lit up in me was magical. My favourite new millennium pop punk band and the artist that changed my world in this decade.
Kicking things off tonight are Brisbane’s Talk Heavy, a band that are completely new to me. I have said in many reviews that I have done that I always make sure that I catch the opening act because you never know what you might discover. In Talk Heavy I found a band that blended elements from both of these headline artists. Their sound and banter shares the pure fun that is Bowling For Soup while there is an intensity that underlies that just oozes Frank Turners attitude and grit.
Talk Heavy are fun engaging and were a real surprise for me. This is the beauty of live music and catching an unknown support band. I look forward to seeking out Talk Heavy again live and if they are playing in your city you need to go check them out.
Setlist : Something Cool, The Montreal Screwjob, Die 4 U, Wedding Bands, The Song That Plays (When Marissa Shoots Trey), Thriving, I Wanna Skate Again, Hoping The Middle
Talk Heavy Gallery
We all have moments, gigs and artists that simply captivate you. The first time I saw Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls was in December of 2024. It was a pre–Good Things side show at the Gershwin Room at the Espy Hotel in St. Kilda. While I was familiar with Frank Turner and his music, nothing truly prepared me for that gig. I came in expecting to hear some incredible stories told through song, a night of meaningful uplifting folk inspired punk rock. What I got was a show that from the moment Frank and band took the stage commanded your attention.
I don’t have many regrets in life, but one that I do have is not seeing Frank Turner live earlier than I did. It changed my world and set the bar for live performances to one that was unthinkably and unknowingly high. That first Frank Turner show in a room that crammed in over 400 people changed everything for me.
The second time I saw Frank Turner was at Good Things on stage three and he did exactly the same thing he won over the audience and gave you a live experience that you just could not deny is consistent and so unique. What Frank Turner delivers in a show is no fluke or I got luck moment.
From the moment Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls took to the Forum stage, there it was, the charm, the energy, the attitude and the relentless performance that simply won each and every person over by the end of it. To win a room full of 2000 people on a co-headline tour in sixty minutes is unlike anything I have ever witnessed before.
The pure ear candy of ‘I Still Believe’ put that instant smile on my face as the folk punk attitude seemed to be spat with such intention during the first verse. The cry of ‘hear ye’ you simply can’t ignore. Once the band kicks in there is that energy is unleashed and there is simply no turning back. The frantic lyrical delivery of “Try This At Home” makes you wonder if Turner ever actually gets to draw breath. While this format of folk punk isn’t anything new the way it’s delivered is masterful and oh so much fun. The delivery of ‘Try This At Home’ backed up with ‘Never Mind The Back Problems’ delivers that furious punk edge and energy.
‘Photosynthesis’ steps things back a little but prompts the nights first big all in sing-a-long.
Preluding the song with “We have come all the way from England just to see you. I have been doing this a long time and I count my shows as I go. This is show 3150”. “There is a little something that I would like to try tonight, it’s a little thing called a circle pit. Some of you know what it is, some of you don’t. Please make a huge circle in the crowd, clear it out. That’s a Brisbane circle right now, further back, further back. People on the edge I want you slowly start to walk around, real slow like you are on a Sunday afternoon stroll with your grandma”. The Forum chants the opening line, Turner asks the circle to speed up at the end of each line and that’s what we do. By the time song kicks in the circle pit is in full motion.
The chorus is anthemic and relatable and has the fans in fine voice. The acoustics in the Forum just lend themselves to voices just swirling around, it’s goose bump inducing really. “I play, you sing, the perfect way for the evening to begin” what a line and what a response it gets. One line that just sums everything up and the energy is electric.
“Girl From The Record Store” is one of my favourite songs and so much fun. It has that slight hint of rockabilly to it that gives it a little extra spice, it encompasses the soul of rock n roll and is magic in everyway. ‘1933’ incites another circle pit and voices to be louder than before. It is moments like this that make the outside world stop and allow you to enjoy the sheer fun that is a rock n roll show. It is all here, the attitude, the energy, I really am lost for words by this stage, my mind has been blown again and I am pulled into the vortex of everything. ‘No Thank You For The Music’ sees the already rowdy crowd go even harder. When I say rowdy, it’s said in such a fun way and has so much positive energy behind it. I don’t think I have seen so many smiles beaming at the one time. It also sees the introduction of the wall of death, but with a twist. Tonight it’s a wall of hugs. Same rules as a wall of death, two sides, but once the meet you must hug the one you run into. What a perfectly brilliant concept executed perfectly.
“Dan’s Song” sees the Sleeping Souls leave the stage and Rob Felicetti from Bowling For Soup come to the stage a deliver a harmonica solo during the song. It’s fun and is obvious that these two bands have a great friendship off the stage too.
Turner asks throughout the set are we friends? Of course we are Frank. This is his subtle way of engaging members of the audience that may not be familiar with the band or his music to feel so welcomed and at home. In all honesty I have to say Frank Turner is the pied piper of folk-punk-rock, you cannot resist his charm and command, engaging with Turner is so much fun and being around two thirds of the way through his set with each song I witnessed more and more people falling under his spell. Seeing this joy and feeling what I do through the music it makes sense now, I was cast under a spell and the euphoric joy that came with it at that first show I saw looks so natural as I watched others fall that same way tonight. Turner could command us to do just about anything.
At “Recovery” I think I got a little lost in the magic too. My focus on the performance and the atmosphere simply took over and I think my journalistic instincts succumb to the pure joy of what this performance is. I sang, I smiled, I bounced and I connected one hundred percent. That switch had been flicked and the spell had been cast.
It wasn’t until Turner asked us to participate in the nights biggest sing-a-long of “Do One” that I looked around in awe of just how loud and connected the audience was. Within two songs Turner had engaged everyone in the Forum. A hoard of new fans had been won and exiting fans were peaking.
With tonight’s set being only sixty minutes there was no time for encores, we were straight into the tail end of the show. “Polaroid Picture”, “Get Better” and “Four Simple Words” took the show home, but not without one last trick from the hypnotising Turner who had the whole Forum pirouette. What a sight to see.
It might be show 3150 for Frank, that’s a gap of 167 shows since I last saw him and I will be damned but tonight might just be the best I have seen him. A Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls show is a moment in time where every single thing in the outside world ceases to exist. Fifteen songs in sixty minutes along with crowd participation what a show, nobody does it like Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls. It’s a religious experience, a baptism in fun.
I can’t wait to see Frank Turner and his incredible band live again. Just like Turner counts his shows I will be counting the days until I get to relive this band do their thing again.
If you want to experience one of the world’s best bands and performers, I urge you to catch one of his shows. There are three shows left in Australia. Frankston, Adelaids & Perth and if you can grab a ticket I urge you to go and tell me something different than what I have said.
Setlist : I Still Believe, Try This At Home, Never Mind The Back Problems, Photosynthesis, Girl From The Record Shop, 1933, No Thank You For The Music, Dan’s Song, If I Ever Stray, Recovery, Long Live The Queen, Do One, Polaroid Picture, Get Better, Four Simple Words.
Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls Gallery
There is an atmosphere here that I just can’t put into words, it’s such a unique venue. The Forum is easily my favourite live venue in Melbourne and Australia. After the set we just got from Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls the bar has been set incredibly high for Bowling For Soup, the band that put fun into pop-punk and got me through some dark times in the first decade on the new millennium.
The last time I saw Bowling For Soup was at the Good Things side show at The Corner Hotel in Richmond. The shows on his run were also the first without guitarist Chris and the first that BFS did as a trio. That format of the band has stayed this way ever since. It works and it works exceptionally well. Jarett Reddick is such a great frontman and the way they have adapted these songs to a three piece is flawless.
There is this cartoonish quality about the band in the way they sound and present themselves. I mean that in the best way. For me their music gives me those Saturday Morning cartoon vibes you had as a kid, an escapism, something you looked forward to and that’s what I get from BFS every time I hear them and see them. Opening with “Almost” every word came back instantly as I sang every word with the band, that feeling of being carefree flooded back with it. As a band they have this relatable way of telling stories that we can all connect with in one way or another. “High School Never Ends” is one of those songs and boy did the crowd engage. Reddick is simply on fire tonight, between pulling faces, rock poses and sticking a pick to his forehead he looks to be having the time of his life on stage tonight. The ability to make a crowd bounce is second to none especially after the workout we all just had.
“Trucker Hat” and “Ohio” keep the energy going and the fun at peak level. At the end of “Ohio” the band invites a couple on stage to do the bands first ever live gender reveal for Steph, Stephanie and Ah, Raymond. It wouldn’t be a BFS show without it comedic banter and fun which Reddick was of fire with. With the reveal being a girl a somewhat awkward Reddick introduces “The Bitch Song” hoping that it was a boy so he could say I hope he’s not a little bitch. Offensive no, 100% fun, yes.
The banter between the three members of BFS is great and they all bounce off each other well. The humour is self-deprecating, cheap and so much fun. Some of the gags made you think, but it all encompasses the spirit of this band, tongue in cheek fun. “Punk Rock 101” sees the band take time to pose for the crowd for photos, hamming it up and just having fun. It’s the end of “Punk Rock 101” which sees Talk Heavy take the stage and finish the song. Such a cool thing and flawlessly executed.
In a quieter more sensitive moment Reddick addresses his struggle with mental health before dedicating “Turbulence” to anyone who is struggling with depression and anxiety. It’s the raw honest here that makes you see the band in a different light. They aren’t just for shits & giggles so to speak, there is a huge element of substance to what they do. The banter between Reddick and bassist Felicetti is priceless, they take turns in making each other laugh though the songs which just adds to the pure fun of this show.
“Girl All The Bad Guys Want” is an anthem, it’s undeniable as it gets the loudest reaction tonight and sees a few surf their way to the front. This is so much fun. The toilet humour continues, but it’s a thinking person’s toilet humour. Germans, number two…. You get the idea. It is the last two songs of the night that keep the energy high until the end. “1985” the song that takes me right back to that year and puts a smile on my face and the song that should have been the bands hit but was released by Fountains Of Wayne to huge success “Stacy’s Mom”. That tale of teenage lust and desire.
With BFS only doing a sixty minute set, if kinda felt like their set had only begun and before we knew it, it was all over. I guess as they say time flies when you are having fun and that we did tonight. There are so many BFS songs that I wish they had of played, some of my favourite singles were missed and there was a lack of deep cuts too, but when you have a shorted set it really does need to be a “Punk Rock 101” kinda show and that is exactly what we got.
My only thought after the show tonight was what if the sets were switched with Frank Turner closing out the night would it have felt and hit a little different? It’s hard to say but all I know is that we got three great sets of music that made for one incredible night.
While both Frank Turner and BFS are due for new music I don’t think this is the last time we will see these two touring together in Australia. It’s too great a combination not to. So as a huge fan of both bands, hurry up and get you asses back here.
Setlist : Almost, High School Never Ends, Trucker Hat, Ohio, The Bitch Song, Two-Seater, The Last Rock Show, Punk Rock 101, Turbulence, Today Is Gonna Be A Great Day, Girl All The Bad Guys Want, 1985, Stacy’s Mom.
Bowling With Soup Gallery
With special thanks to Tiana from Dallas Does PR & Destroy All Lines for the media access.
Photos by Shot by Slaidins Photography
