Gaslight Frank Club

Written by Haydn Williams

I was in attendance for all three acts at Rock City last night – Polar Bear Club, Frank Turner and Gaslight Anthem. The main reason for going was to catch Frank, but both other bands were good fun to photograph too.

<strong>Polar Bear Club, Rock City.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.
Polar Bear Club, Rock City.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

I’ve heard good things about Polar Bear Club, and lo and behold, I enjoyed them immensely. They gave the impression they were very comfortable as a band on stage, and had an impressive following in the crowd, especially for an opening act from the States.

<strong>Frank Turner, Rock City.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.
Frank Turner, Rock City.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Frank Turner was up next, and I was keen to see him on form after his unfortunate exit due to illness halfway through his Rescue Rooms set a few months ago. As it turns out, it was awesome. The lyrics are exceptional, the between-song banter is great, and the integrity and feeling come across loud and clear. Stunning.

<strong>Gaslight Anthem, Rock City.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.
Gaslight Anthem, Rock City.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Gaslight Anthem were the main act, and I didn’t know any of their stuff either. They seemed pretty polished, and the crowd were loving it. Pretty good to photograph, but not really too exciting musically, for my taste. As I say, everyone else seemed pretty stoked, so I left Rock City full of happy people – excellent.