Frank Turner shares something a particular characteristic with a few really good acts, particularly Gaslight Anthem, the band that first led us to him when we saw him supporting them back in 2009. What he does seems to be so simple that you'd expect there would be hundreds of people doing it. After seeing Mr Turner play, you immediately think there should be hundreds of young-ish men knocking out catching punk-style songs on acoustic guitars. And then you realise that it really isn't that simple, and that he's simply making something rather tricky it look very easy.
That then brings to mind a long list of artists who seem to have missed out on their due widespread, and lasting, public recognition because the skill and beauty of their talent has gone under-appreciated as a result of the apparent ease with which they generate beautifully crafted pop songs (in huge contrast from artists who make the very most of their talents, such as Jon Bon Jovi). And this pool of artists who have gone under-appreciated because they made it look to easy contains some wonderful luminaries, Buffalo Tom and Teenage Fanclub to Smudge and Ryan Adams, and maybe even Glen Hansard. .
The seeming effortless with which Mr Turner produces songs that really grab people's hearts certainly seems to be working for him at the moment, and I hope it stays that way. Hard craft at songwriting should not need to be showy and on-display to be appreciated.
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