Frank Turner @ Scala, London on his Campfire Rock Twenty Four Tour

PHOTOS AND REVIEW BY DAMIEN HARVEY

There’s something different about seeing Frank Turner in a small room, and at Scala it felt less like a gig and more like being part of something shared. I’ve seen him on bigger stages when he supported Green Day back in 2010, but this, just over a thousand people packed into a hot, balcony-lined venue, hit differently, and very intimate.

By the time he came on, the place was already buzzing. The crowd wasn’t just warmed up, it was ready after the incredible support of Dave Hause and Katacombs, and as soon as he launched into the opening songs, that energy snapped into place. It didn’t take long before everyone around me was singing, properly singing, not just along for the chorus. That’s the thing with his shows: the audience becomes part of it almost immediately.

The setlist felt really deliberate. You’d get these big, shout-along moments where the whole room was bouncing, then he’d pull it back into something quieter and more reflective. Photosynthesis and I Still Believe hit like full-on anthems, those arms in the air, voices cracking ones while songs like I Am Disappeared brought everything down just enough to make the louder moments land harder when they returned.

What stood out most to me was how in control it all felt without ever seeming forced. He knows exactly how to work a room like this, when to let it explode and when to let it breathe. It felt spontaneous, but you could tell it was carefully shaped underneath.

And the crowd, honestly, that’s what made it. There’s always this sense of community at his gigs, but here it felt amplified. People had their arms around each other, shouting every word like it meant something. It didn’t feel like watching a performance; it felt like being inside it, and many of these people admitted to seeing him the next day at Scala when he asked who was back again tomorrow.

By the time the set was closing out, everything had built to this huge, euphoric peak. The floor was shaking, everyone was drenched in sweat, voices were going, and nobody wanted it to end. When it did, it didn’t feel like a full stop, more like a pause before the next time.

Walking out of Scala, you had that rare post-gig feeling where you know you’ve just seen something that only really works in a room that size. It wasn’t just a great show,it was a reminder of why gigs like this matter in the first place.

1. The Ballad of Me and My Friends
2. Nashville Tennessee
3. Do One
4. The Real Damage
5. I Am Disappeared
6. Recovery
7. Brave Face
8. Smiling at Strangers on Trains
9. Long Live the Queen
10. Casanova Lament
11. Thatcher Fucked the Kids
12. Be More Kind
13. I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous
14. Somewhere Inbetween
15. This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the One of Me
16. Journey of the Magi
17. Girl From the Record Shop
18. I Really Don’t Care What You Did on Your Gap Year
19. Photosynthesis
20. Get Better
21. I Still Believe
22. Polaroid Picture