This past week, I experienced quite the folk punk weekend. On October 10th, I got to see Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls perform in front of about a thousand people at Boulder Theater. Frank Turner played for two hours straight, with the band taking a bit of a break in-between. It was a great evening, supported by the performances of Beans on Toast and Skinny Lister, a very fun shanty punk band.
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| Frank Turner looking like Bruce Springsteen Boulder Theater |
But in some ways, it just couldn’t rival the next evening’s surprise show by Frank Turner and Jon Snodgrass at a private party in Fort Collins at Jon Snodgrass’s bar Surfside 7, which is currently still in the process of being renovated (after having moved earlier this year) and not open to the public yet.
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| Frank Turner and the shadow of Jon Snodgrass Surfside 7, Fort Collins |
While I did think, the show at Boulder Theater was great entertainment and that Frank Turner and the band gave their all and everything, I admit to having been a tad bit disappointed in how it all seemed so much more “Entertainment” than rock’n’roll or even (folk or no folk) punk. I won’t go into much more detail about that, but let’s just say that it bummed me out a bit that in a song with the lyrics “I won’t sit down and I won’t shut up,” Turner got almost the entire audience to sit down. Not sure if that was meant to be a test or ironic – but I’m pretty sure it was just about entertainment, and most people got a kick out of eventually jumping up when he told them to. I just kept standing and was relieved when I didn’t feel so awkwardly singled out anymore. I prefer to dance over complying when being told when to clap or sit down. 😉
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| Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls – Selfie Boulder Theater |
Oh, but then the next night at Surfside 7, we got to see the other side: Frank Turner playing an acoustic show with his friend Jon Snodgrass only for friends and friends of friends – and on his only day off. Clearly, Turner is not only a talented musician and songwriter, he loves to create and share his music just because he does. And I love that!
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| Jon Snodgrass and Frank Turner Surfside 7, Fort Collins |
I’m so grateful for being able to experienced both shows.
Because I love to shoot and share videos just cause, I’m sharing a few excerpts from this weekend. If anyone who is in the videos, doesn’t want them to be public, just let me know, and I’ll take them offline again.
Frank Turner and Jon Snodgrass playing “Photosynthesis” at Surfside 7 on October 11th, 2015
Frank Turner playing “Recovery” at Surfside 7 on October 11th, 2015 was extra special to me because that song has a lot of personal meaning to me – especially during the time when I transitioned from Berlin to Colorado. Seeing it performed years later in Fort Collins in such a personal setting brought a satisfying sense of closure. The fact that at the end of the video that guy with the Turbojugend “Kutte” cuts of my view also resonates. After all, the Welt-Turbojugend-Tage take place in my other home, St. Pauli, Hamburg, every year. Everything is connected…
A short excerpt from Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls performing “Recovery” at Boulder Theater on October 10, 2015 serves mostly as a juxtaposition to the Surfside 7 acoustic performance…
And last, but not least by any means, a lovely song written by Jon Snodgrass and Frank Turner from their EP Buddies (available via iTunes): Frank Turner and Jon Snodgrass playing “Big Rock in Little Rock” at Surfside 7 on October 11th, 2015