Heather and I went out to the House of Blues in Dallas to see Frank Turner, along with Skinny Lister and Beans on Toast. I’ve seen both Frank Turner and Skinny Lister before, as opening acts for the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly respectively. Heather hadn’t seen either of them before, so it was going to be a great evening.
We started out with dinner at FM Smokehouse, which was a disappointment. They’ve cut back their menu pretty severely, to the point where it’s just not worth going anymore. I don’t know if they’re running in to some financial difficulties, but every time we go in, the menu gets smaller and more generic.
After that, we got ourselves parked and headed in for the show. The first act up was Beans on Toast, a solo singer. He was ok, but I probably wouldn’t base a ticket purchase on whether or not he was on the lineup.
Next up was Skinny Lister, an English roots/punk band that’s a real blast to see. They did a relatively full set, playing some new stuff as well as some things from their first album. The audience was definitely involved, singing along as well as helping the band members crowd surf.
After a short intermission, Frank Turner took the stage for his set. He’s gotten airplay on SiriusXM for years, which is how Heather found out about him. And when I saw him as an opening act he did a great job. But he’s definitely improved since then, with a much stronger stage presence and a cleaner production. He was truly enjoyable to listen, and sing along, to.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and we made our way home to crash out.