We are in Oxford for Frank Turner gig number 3019, supported by Amigo The Devil and Averageginger.

It is an early start tonight as Frank is doing a DJ set at The Bullingdon afterwards, though it sounds like he is still recovering from one he did last night in Cambridge. We didn’t want to be late though as there are two support acts. For this Undefeated jaunt Frank has previous tour mates Amigo The Devil in tow. However, he also, in true grassroots supporting mode, had a competition for a local opener on each night of the tour selecting one local talent to open for him.

Averageginger

In Oxford that local opener was Averageginger, Matthew George Henderson. He boldly opened with his only track on Spotify, ‘Prison Out of Pain.’ He enjoyed his moment on the stage and displayed enough wit to be one to follow for the next few releases. He did a couple more originals including one about his Grandad who was torpedoed off the coast of Orkney . A song about “Not letting the bastards get you down” was quickly being sung back by an appreciative crowd. There was a solid cover of Hothouse Flowers, ‘It’ll Be Easier in the Morning’. The last track ‘Take My Hand’ will be the next out on streaming services. It was a short timeslot, but he acquitted himself well.

Amigo The Devil

Previous tour mates of Frank, invited back again, presumably due to being such ridiculously huge amounts of fun. At times it threatens to stray into Tenacious D territory, but the songs retain a little bit more integrity. They start off with the brilliantly bonkers ‘Murder at the Bingo Hall.’ At the end of it heavily tattooed frontman Danny Kiranos threatens that they will now spend the rest of the set playing variations of the same song. He goes into a slowed down thirty seconds of the same song before he cracks and starts laughing. “I’m just kidding.” This rather wicked sense of humour drives the whole Amigo the Devil experience. This comes to a head on ‘I Hope Your Husband Dies.’ During a slower moment, where it reduces to just Kiranos strumming on guitar someone in the crowd shouts out, “Tell the story!” Kiranos considers for a moment and stops playing, he relays that the song is about the man his best friend married who he was extremely jealous of. Then they became firm friends, and then he actually died. It is horrific and bizarre all at the same time. As the crowd sing back the chorus after the pause, Kiranos has made us all complicit in the madness.

This set was so much fun, and I look forward to having a proper trawl through their back catalogue. Kiranos’s backing band are in a constant state of laughter, enjoying the chaos that their ringleader brings with him.

Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls

If you have any familiarity with Frank Turner then this show contains all the elements you would expect to find. There is a discussion of the key rules of the gig. “Don’t be a dick,” “Look after Each Other” and “If you know the words you have to sing along.” There is encouragement of circle pits. There is the acknowledgement that “Despite being in our forties now, this is still a punk rock gig.”

Frank discusses this almost being a hometown show, as both Ben Lloyd and Matt Nasir are from Oxford. As he goes round where each band member comes from drummer Callum Green reluctantly announces “Swindon,” drawing a round of mock-boos and jeers from the locals in tonight’s crowd. Frank says this is his 39th Oxford gig.

Frank maintains high levels of energy, kick jumping off blocks, spinning and turning when not singing into the microphone. This is all the more impressive when he still seems to be feeling the effects of the previous night’s after show DJ set in Cambridge. His clean black shirt at the start of the gig is completely drenched in sweat by the midway point. “If you were to wring this shirt out and drink it you would probably still be able to get drunk.” You do wonder at what point he may need to start slowing down a bit and acknowledging that this level of tour intensity will start to have a significant impact on him.

The set list is a great mix of older and newer songs. You can never accuse Frank of short-changing an audience, 25 tracks are played in all tonight. The majority of the set is the same night to night on this tour but there is space for a few requests that have been preselected. Of the material from recent album Undefeated, ‘Ceasefire’ remains a highlight, with Frank arguing with his 15-year-old self about the how the younger Frank would perceive the older one.

There is of course a whiff of politics as there always is with Frank. Whilst this never leans into discussing the merits of individual parties it does capture the overall tone of a world that has not felt so worrying since the early 1980s. “I wrote this song back in 2016 when it felt like everything was falling apart. I remember thinking, at least it couldn’t get any worse!” What hits hardest are his comments around ‘Be More Kind.’ “There is a time coming soon when we may have to fight for what we believe in. To stand up for what is right. That might be in conversations and that might be with fists. Always be better than them though. Be more understanding. Be more kind.”

I was listening to a couple of fans discussing how you explain Frank Turner to a non-fan. It is a fair point. Folk-punk singer-songwriter? Billy Bragg’s angrier punk little brother? Conscientious music for people who like to pogo at gigs? He occupies a territory that few other artists inhabit. All the big tracks are present and correct. ‘1933,’ ‘Recovery,’ ‘Get Better’ and ‘Four Simple Words’ all sound brilliant though with so many great songs different sections of the audience light up as their own personal favourites get an airing.

Right towards the end Frank jumps down and dives into the crowd, he is carried aloft to the middle of the room before being directed back and caught by security. This is Frank in a nutshell. Still punk rock. Still having trust in his audience. Still pushing his stage presence as far as he can go. Still having a great time.