The first time I saw Frank Turner was in 2009, while he was touring with The Loved Ones, Murder by Death, and Gaslight Anthem. As I sat outside the Chain Reaction in Anaheim, California, I saw him pull up, park his car, and grab his guitar from his backseat. That was it. This left such an endearing impression on me. A couple of hours later, I saw him take the stage and run through a number of Folksy tracks in this tiny club brimming with DIY punk-rock ethic. Now it's 14 years later, and he's headlining the 6th of his own festival that has taken place from Berlin to Boston. Lost Evenings VI is the first to make its way out to Southern California and lo-and-behold, it was taking place in Anaheim at the House of Blues. The 4-day festival would entail lots of live music, discussions, positivity, and fun.
Frank announced that his sets would differ from night to night. The first was a stripped-down acoustic set, the third night was a 10-year celebration of his 5th record, Tape Deck Heart, and the last night of the fest would be an all-encompassing career "greatest hits" set. While I would have loved to have attended all 4 days, it was the 2nd night of the fest that caught my attention. Frank announced that he would be playing a set of songs from his first 4 albums. The opportunity to relive a set similar to that of the first time I saw Frank was something I couldn't miss.
With two stages within the venue, the festival was stacked with a number of artists including KT Tunstall, Pedro the Lion, Chuck Ragan, Rebuilder, Beans on Toast, and more. Supporting Frank Turner on the main stage of the 2nd night was Bad Cop/Bad Cop and Codefendants, while Tommy & June, Jen Razavi of The Bombpops, and Black Guy Fawkes played on the smaller "Nick Alexander" Stage, named after a friend who was killed in the 2015 Paris terrorist attack at Le Bataclan while working as merchandise manager for Eagles of Death Metal. During the day, there was an Open Mic being held while Panels about the music industry, stories from the early years, activism, and more were going on as well.
Black Guy Fawkes opened the night on the NA stage. The room that occupied the second stage quickly began to fill as Black Guy Fawkes played a number of folk punk tracks. Linh from Bad Cop/Bad Cop even joined in on the fun for a duet. A little over mid-way through his set, the crowd thinned as people started to head to the main stage for Codefendants' set. Codefendants brought a blend of punk and hip-hop that the duo deemed "Crime Wave." There was a level of camaraderie amongst the artists not often seen at most shows, as many did guest spots on each other's sets. This time Stacey Dee from Bad Cop/Bad Cop took the stage to join Codefendants for a song. The Crime-Wave duo also brought LA's, Awol One, on stage to perform.
Back on the Nick Alexander stage, Jen Razavi was already in the middle of her set. I got to the room just in time to hear her go through an acoustic rendition of The Misfits' "Angelfuck." Meanwhile, Bad Cop/Bad Cop were setting up on the main stage. In between bands, comedy duo, Koo Koo Kanga Roo, had been keeping those waiting throughout the night for Frank Turner, entertained with games and "prizes." One of which was a Sunny Delight drinking contest with a pack of clotheshangers while the other was a kid's crowdsurfing race that had a pair of young ones embarking on their first crowd surf while riding pool inflatables. When Bad Cop/Bad Cop took the stage, the crowd was amped up for some fast and catchy punk rock. There was much to celebrate, as it was Stacey Dee's birthday, and back to rocking out after recently recovering from surgery. They opened their set with " Retrograde" then continued to bounce between more tracks from Warriors and their 2020 release, The Ride. They made sure to fit in their latest single, "Shattered" before finishing off the set with "Womanarchist."
Tommy and June's set at the Nick Alexander stage was coming to an end not much later following Bad Cop/Bad Cop, so most people stuck around and waited for the festival's curator, Frank Turner. As the lights dimmed, the horn intro to "Eulogy" played over the house speakers and the crowd exploded. Frank walked out with his guitar followed by his backing band of Sleeping Souls, and the crowd sang along to every line that eventually led into the eruptious "Try This at Home." The amount of energy, excitement, and positivity felt on the floor isn't something I've felt in a long time. Everyone was singing every word from the back of the venue, all the way up to those in front, including us in the photo pit. Frank kept to his word and kept it to the first four albums, but did mention "and other songs from the era" before jumping into "Nashville Tennessee" from his first EP, Campfire Punkrock.
Throughout the set, he told stories, including one about his grandmother "kicking nazis in the balls" as an introduction to "Peggy Sang the Blues." He teased drummer, Callum Green, for going to Disneyland at 7 in the morning before announcing these were his first shows in Anaheim. About midway through the set, the band left Frank to play by himself, however, he did get some assistance from Black Guy Fawkes on "Dan's Song" when he needed someone to perform the harmonica solo. Despite it being Fawkes' first harmonica solo, he nailed it.
The Sleeping Souls returned and they continued to run through songs over a decade old. Frank broke out "Sons of Liberty" from Poetry of the Deed, which he claims to have not played since Lost Evenings' third festival. He closed out the set with back-to-back favorites, "The Road" and "I Still Believe." When they all came back out, it was a Love Ire & Song-filled encore. First with "Jet Leg" which he mentioned was about a girl from Southern California, followed by "St. Christopher is Coming Home," and then finally closing out the night with "Photosynthesis." It was the perfect ending to a perfect night.
Although I only attended one night of the Lost Evenings Fest, I have no doubt all 4 days were a blast and I'm eager to attend another in the future. Unlike most fests, it works on a much smaller scale while still feeling like a big all-day event. Frank's managed to work his DIY ethic so deeply engrained in my head all those years ago into an event that feels large in practice but intimate in execution.
Be sure to check out our gallery from Lost Evenings Fest VI below.
