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Frank Turner has an innovative way of blending the genres of folk, punk and rock with his intelligent lyrics to create quietly anthemic music. Often described as a social commentator, the Bahrain born, Meonstoke raised songwriter released his first album 'Sleep Is for the Week' in 2007 which was received well critically. 'Love Ire & Song' came in the following year and made Turner's first dent in the UK album charts, his reputation was growing quickly as his tours began to sell out by his loyal fan base. He supported The Offspring and The Gaslight Anthem on tours which developed his reputation further.
The next album 'Poetry of the Deed' debuted within the UK top 40 thanks to support from the likes of Kerrang and Q Magazine. This album gained him a nomination for an NME Award in the Best Solo Artist category. He became a regular on the festival circuit, playing Two Thousand Trees, Reading & Leeds and Cambridge Folk to support the release of 2011 album 'England Keep My Bones'. He won two AIM awards in the same year for Best Live Act and Hardest Working Artist.
In 2012 Frank and his support band The Sleeping Souls were personally invited as the warm up act to the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony where they played 'Sailor's Boots' 'Wessex Boy' and 'I Still Believe'. His biggest commercial album to date was released in 2013 and was titled 'Tape Deck Heart', it debuted in the UK at #2 and holds a MetaCritic score of 78/100. It also featured a hit single of sorts in 'The Way I Tend To Be' which became Turner's second ever appearance on the UK singles chart.
Exposed to music at a young age by his father Howard Kweller, Ben Kweller learned to play the drums at a mere seven years of age. When Kweller’s father returned from being the town’s first doctor in the evening, he would sing and play guitar, and young Kweller would play drums along to The Beatles, The Hollies and Jimi Hendrix. Having been taught how to play the highly-covered song “Heart and Soul” by neighbour Nils Lofgren, Kweller subsequently used the chord to create his own compositions.
In 1993 Kweller formed the group Radish with local drummer John Kent and bassist Ryan Green. Together Radish independently released two albums “Hello” in 1994 and “Dizzy” in 1995, the latter of which earned an unexpected bidding war from labels, and Radish eventually signed to Mercury Records. After releasing the full-length “Restraining Bolt” and making appearances on “The Weird Al Show”, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Late Show with David Letterman”, the band developed a cult following in the UK, aided by the Top 40 hit “Little Pink Stars”. As a result of a label merger, the band’s subsequent album was never released and the Kweller decided pursued a solo career.
After moving to New York, U.S. aged 19, Kweller self-released four EPs including the unreleased Radish album “Discount Fireworks”. Another EP “Freak Out, It’s Ben Kweller” caught the ear of Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, and Kweller subsequently signed with ATO Records, releasing the five-track EP “Phone Home” in 2001. The singer-songwriter’s full-length “Sha Sha” arrived a year later earning a grassroots following for the largely word out mouth method of advertising it adopted.
In 2003, Kweller, alongside Ben Folds and Ben Lee, toured Australia as The Bens and crafted a self-titled four-track EP, followed a year later with his sophomore album “On My Way”. Noted for its live recording with little overdubs and no use of headphones, Kweller supported the album with his most extensive tour to date, co-headlining with Death Cab for Cutie.
Playing all the instruments himself on the record, Kweller’s eponymously-titled third studio-album, released in 2006, was followed by another supporting tour in which the musician expanded his band to a five-piece. In 2009 his fourth full-length album “Changing Horses” was issued, after it had been leaked on to the internet, featuring more country arrangements than its predecessors. Kweller subsequently released “Go Fly a Kite” on his own label, The Noise Company, in 2014.
The truly unique feeling about a Frank Turner gig is the feeling of community that comes with every single one of them. Frank's mission statement is to make his every show a place where everyone is an equal, where he himself is on the same footing as everyone in the audience, both united in their love of rock & roll and singing it at the top of their lungs.
He's also confident that at least half of the multitude of people who come to see him play the O2 Arena, or Wembley Arena or any of the enormodomes he currently slays on his home turf, have also seen him play in a room that holds under a hundred people.
At least half of them care enough about his music and what he represents to see him in any and every environment they can, be it the back room of a pub, a cavernous arena, a sodden festival field and everything in between. And at 1577 shows and counting Frank knows how to utterly slay any audience in he finds himself in front of.
Frank may not be reinventing the wheel with his brand of quintessentially British folk rock but it's nothing if not passionate, intelligent and emotionally honest. That passion is reflected in everything about his concerts from Frank and his backing band the Sleeping Souls to the love that comes from his audience, and for that reason a Frank Turner concert is a truly inspiring, humbling and life-affirming thing to be a part of.
I saw Ben Kweller a while ago in Detroit when he was on tour with Pete Yorn. He was the opening act so we were excited to get to see our lover first – we got to the front row and loved every second of it. It was a very small venue and Ben played all his songs acoustically with no band up there with him. We kept yelling for him to play our favorite song – Thirteen. He finally said “Okay.” And played it, just for us!! Just him on his piano and us singing along like crazy. At the time he had a new album out, but he didn’t overplay his new songs – he had a good mix of new and old. The show was so intimate and he was so sweet the whole entire time. After the show he stayed at the merch table and met everyone in the semi long line. We got a picture, talked to him for a while and got our shirts signed. It was a great experience and we were so excited to be there.
Ben Kweller is an indie artist with similarities to Death Cab for Cutie and Bon Iver. His memorable lyrics and acoustic sound is definitely his main draw.
Laura Stevenson, hails from somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic, in a place called New York, writing folk and indie rock on her guitar and piano. She made a name for herself by being the keyboard player in a band called “Bomb the Music Industry!”
If ever you get the chance to go and see her live then you should definitely take that opportunity! She performs with a full band behind her and they make a pretty big sound together. Tonight is all about the most recent songs that she released in the form of a full-length studio album called “Wheel”. She covers all bases by performing some of her most well known material such as songs called “Runner” and “Master of Art”. Where she has written some beautiful melodies that are countered in such great fashion in other instruments playing, but is well supported by a strong four to the floor backbeat. Her sound could maybe be compared to her contemporaries such as Tegan & Sara, or maybe even Kate Voegele.
This guy keeps it real, just listen to him and you will understand, everything he says is true and nothing less!
With a name like beans on toast how could you not like him! It's as simple as breakfast, we all need beans and toast in our lives, to give us energy, to keep us down to Earth and well, for another reason which I'm sure has been circulating your mind, like athletes around an Olympic track.
The man makes folk music and anti-folk music, yes as confusing as that sounds he just does, with his frank lyrics on tracks which keep his talent in a good place. In his song 'Things' he goes on a honest rant about how things are which some may find very agreeable "Drilling holes into the hill and poisoning the land" he also appears to be a conscious person with a good sense of humour.
When he performed his song 'Can't get a gig at Glastonbury' the audience fell in love, they sang every word along with him, it seems a lot of people can relate to his experience of when he could not get a gig at Glastonbury, even laughing at some of his lyrics when he described how he got into Glastonbury before he became an act there 'I even jumped a fence!'
He is such a loved artist and I wish him the best!