Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls – June 15th – Fillmore Auditorium

Playboy Magazine once called Colfax the “longest, wickedest street in America”. Ok, maybe they didn’t, but those that live and work on Colfax claim this an irrefutable prefabricated truth.  Besides, if Colfax was not so long and wicked, Denver might not have so many musical venues to feed my live music addiction. Built in 1905 as a roller rink, the building that now houses the Fillmore Auditorium has almost as much of a sordid past as the street that it sits on.  One of the largest general admission indoor venues in Denver did not even host live music until 55 years after it was built.  It went through two musical venue renditions and subsequent closures before becoming the Fillmore back in 1999.  Music brings people to Colfax and is helping to re-establish it as Denver’s true main street.  So, keep those bar and venue doors open and continue to fill Colfax with music.

Opening acts like the Pop Punk Pet Needs, the Hardcore tinged Punk of The Bronx from LA and the witty and off poetic Folk Punk of AJJ would prime the auditorium crowd for what was day #33 of the “50 States in 50 Days Tour” for Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls.  Like Frank Turner himself, all these bands only have one thing in common, they are all rooted in Punk.  The mish-mash of Punk musical stylings would be the perfect set up for the night’s show as Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls are touring in support of his new album FTHC or Frank Turner Hardcore.  The album is a return to something rawer and a bit more sonically aggressive. 

Frank took to the stage alone in singer songwriter style and began playing “Four Simple Words.”  When the song ended with the verse:

I want to dance
I want you and me to both join hands down at the front
So the next time I see you, remember these words, oh
We’ll sing like the barricades are down
And well dance like no ones around
Singing four simple words

The Sleeping Souls burst onto stage and provided the perfect musical backing  for the remainder of the show.  The chemistry as a band was undeniable as soon as they began to play. The Sleeping Soul’s current members are Ben Lloyd (guitar and mandolin player), Tarrant Anderson (bassist), Matt Nasir (piano and mandolin player) and Callum Green (drummer).

The latest album played a heavy focus throughout the night, with tracks like “Punches” and “Haven’t Been Doing So Well.” There were also classics such as “Photosynthesis,” “Love Ire & Song” and “Be More Kind,” that had the crowd drinking and singing along.

Frank made sure to ride the line between providing banter and conveying serious messages. From stories of drunkenness that ended in tonight’s mustache, to the constant show of appreciation to his hard-working crew, to singing songs about mental health while telling the crowd “It’s okay.” But when it came to playing “Miranda,” a song that talks about his relationship with his father who is now a transgender woman you could really hear the emotion in his voice.

The show ended with an encore of “The Ballad of Me and My Friends,” “Recovery,” “Try This at Home,” and “I Still Believe.”  See you next time in the pit!