It’s kind of always pissed me off that punk so often fuses itself to reggae breeding ska. I can’t stand reggae and think that the majority of ska is pretty aweful also, so if I needed to explain myself, that’s why I’m annoyed.
But jumping into bed with folk music I can deal with, the Pogues are amazing, Violent Femmes are astonishing and Billy Bragg is a man who should have his face carved into the surface of the moon large enough that we can see it each night as we drink beer walking home from the pub.
Frank Turner, while not being yet at the stage where we’re going to carve his face into any orbital bodies, is definitely a solid contribution to the folk punk lineage. The songs are solid, the politics is sensible and it’s all very, very good for drinking.
With the new one from him out middle of this year, England Keep My Bones, he’s put himself out there for a massive 12 date German tour bringing his backing band the Sleeping Souls along for the ride. Postbahnhof hosts the gig and you provide the drunkenness and the friends to carry you home. Because neither he nor Billy Bragg are going to volunteer for that, there are limits to their goodness.
Support comes from scottish punk rock band The Xcerts.
