Advertisement
Get your first 12 issues for just £12
SUBSCRIBE
Music

Frank Turner shines light on homelessness in Manchester Street Noise gig

The singer-songwriter played a sell-out solo show to bring the 2017 INSP summit to an end

Singer-songwriter Frank Turner drew the curtains on the annual International Network of Street Papers (INSP) Summit with a landmark acoustic concert.

Turner put on a spectacular show at the 02 Ritz in Manchester for the special Street Noise gig on Thursday night to close the three-day-long event which was held at the city’s Bridgewater Hall.

Photo: Big Issue North / INSP.ngo

The solo show saw the singer belt out hits like I Still Believe and If I Ever Stray with the sold-out crowd accompanying him in full voice. He was ably supported by Manc indie rockers Our Fold and glitter-strewn, synth-infused guitar act Felix Hagan and the Family while Manchester music legend Clint Boon acted as a compere and also gave the crowd a taste of the Madchester seen on the decks.

As a special way to mark the gig, Hagan’s seven-piece act teamed up with Turner for a high-energy encore which saw the group try their hand at Green Day’s Basketcase and Queen’s sing-a-long classic Don’t Stop Me Now. And the unique show was a big with hit fans, who were even joined by Turner for a sensational stage-dive as the night came to a close.

The gig was given plenty of acclaim on social media as Turner posed with the sell-out crowd. The performer even hinted that the link-up might not be a one-off after all and more shows could follow.

Advertisement
Advertisement

It marked the end of a week in which delegates from 54 street papers and 28 different countries descended on Manchester for the INSP summit.

The summit also saw the opportunity for ideas to be shared on how to tackle homelessness and improve the reach of street papers across the globe and featured keynote speeches from experts in various fields, including Real Junk Food Project leader Adam Smith and Neil McInroy, CEO of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies.

Next year, the annual conference will be heading to Basel in Switzerland but INSP chair Fay Selvan closed out the event by giving guests a taste of Manchester, quoting Oasis’ nineties classic Don’t Look Back in Anger. 

She said: : “So I’ll start a revolution from my bed. Cause you said the brains I had went to my head. Step outside, summertime’s in bloom. Stand up beside the fireplace. Take that look from off your face. You ain’t ever gonna burn my heart out. Hopefully, we can start a revolution from our beds.”

Advertisement

Become a Big Issue member

3.8 million people in the UK live in extreme poverty. Turn your anger into action - become a Big Issue member and give us the power to take poverty to zero.

Recommended for you

View all
The Selecter's Pauline Black: 'I had an uncle who thought Enoch Powell was the way to go'
Pauline Black in 1984 as a TV presenter on Hold Tight!
Letter to my Younger Self

The Selecter's Pauline Black: 'I had an uncle who thought Enoch Powell was the way to go'

This jazz festival born in the wake of the pandemic captures the heart of the Big Easy
The Rumble at NOLAxNOLA
Music

This jazz festival born in the wake of the pandemic captures the heart of the Big Easy

The Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie: 'I'd rather not be remembered for Three Lions'
Letter To My Younger Self

The Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie: 'I'd rather not be remembered for Three Lions'

I composed a piece of music made from the dying beats of my father's heart
Music

I composed a piece of music made from the dying beats of my father's heart

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know