Frank Turner

Love Ire & Song

[3.5/5]

Million Dead were one of the better post-hardcore bands to emerge from the British Isles at the beginning of the decade, and when they imploded in 2005, opinions were split as to whether they’d parted company too early or they’d done the wise thing in calling it a day at their creative peak. Fans of the band were closely watching manic frontman Frank Turner, eager to see what direction his career would take next, but nobody expected this. Rather than retread old ground, Turner has taken some time to soak up influences such as Billy Bragg and even Neil Young to reinvent himself as some sort of folk-punk singer-songwriter. Not that this is a bad thing; on the contrary, “Reasons Not To Be An Idiot” and the title track are beautifully crafted and heartfelt. The shift from post-hardcore to folk isn’t an obvious one, but Turner has made it effortlessly. (XTRA MILE) Brett Callwood