I HAVE never been deafened at a gig by the audience before, but the roar from the crowd after Meonstoke’s favourite son Frank Turner played Wessex Boy, his love letter to growing up in Winchester, almost ruptured my ear drums.

It was an outstanding night at what was, as Turner admitted, the closet thing he could get to playing a home town gig.

He reminisced with the audience between songs about when Southampton was “the big city” and dreamed of playing the battle of the bands at the 02 Guildhall.

Turner never did play battle of the bands, but he has played several electrifying sold out shows at the venue over the years, and tonight was no exception.

The crowd were in a fine mood and happy to play along with Turner’s two rules for the audience - one: don’t be an a******e, and two: sing along - and sing they did as Turner played a set full of favourites and the stronger tracks from his new album Be More Kind.

Opening with the fierce 1933 a rallying cry against the world’s political shift to the right, Frank and the Sleeping Souls kept the energy up throughout, playing old classics like Photosynthesis and Recovery, apologising to his mother (who was in attendance) before proclaiming “There is no God” in Glory Hallelujah, and diving headfirst into the crowd, and then surfing out again during a barnstorming renditions of Four Simple Words.

The night also saw the debut performance of the new LP’s latest single - cheery electro-pop ballad Little Changes.

Turner also revealed that he had donated several tickets to charity Stay Up Late that provides buddies to disabled people so they can enjoy gigs, or as he put it: “Make sure people of all different abilities can come and enjoy rock and roll shows.”

Support was provided by The Homeless Gospel Choir, best be described as the love child of Bright Eyes and Corky and the Juice Pigs - and just as fun and offbeat as you would expect such a pairing would be. He was followed by four time Juno award winning Arkells, who brought their politically-charged electro-infused funk rock to the Guildhall, with new single Peoples Champ a clear favourite.

Turner and the Souls played out out the evening with one final sing along to the transitory meditation of Polaroid Pictures - reminding everyone that, for the night at least, everything was OK.