By Mike Barham
Well this month I had the pleasure of talking to Frank Turner, who’s has done just that. Having played in the small towns of Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire within the first year of starting out as a solo singer/songwriter, a career that has lead to all of the achievements above and more, and has left a lasting impression on those towns left in the wake.
Frank Turner has been lead vocalist for early 00s rock group Million Dead turned solo performer and now frontman with the Sleeping Souls and hardcore outfit Mongol Horde.
Mike Barham: So coming back to play in the smaller areas like Salisbury, Oxford and Reading - is it like a homecoming almost?
Frank Turner: Well in the past when we have done UK tours they have tended to be two different types - one would be the bigger shows in big cities and then the others would be targeted to the “A Market” as it were. But I still love going to all these different places and seeing new parts of the UK. We wanted to get back to some of the places we have roots in. Most of the Sleeping Souls are from Oxfordshire so they all have family there, and Salisbury isn’t a million miles from where I grew up in Winchester so it’s almost a family and friends tour with all of our touring family thrown in.
MB: Does that means you’re going to be performing a catalogue of older and newer material, or just playing songs from the latest album ‘Positive Songs for Negative People’?
FT: I’m trying not to get as in depth as I always do with the set list, but I want it to feel familiar and keep as many people happy as I can. I think too much about the set lists all the time, so this time we are trying to keep things more free.
MB: And does that mean you’re meeting up with old friends on the way round?
FT: As I said there are a lot of family groups on the way round, but there are promoters and musicians throughout the area that we’ve all known for years. There are specific friends you meet on the road, you can not talk to them for a year and then see them, picking up exactly where you left off. Oxford is a special place in our hearts because of the family connections but also because I love the venues and scene there. Always have.
MB: You announced details of your 2000th show in October - what was the response like?
FT: Just unbelievable. We were fraught with people applying for tickets, over 15,000. Touting is something that keeps me awake at night so we’ve been trying to combat that with people’s names on tickets and this ballot system to apply for them, but I know it’s going to be such a special show. And I’m playing it at my favourite UK venue; Nottingham Rock City, and I just can’t wait.
MB: And once this tour is out of the way, what is happening in the world of Frank Turner? Have you plans to dive back into your many projects? Take some time off?
FT: I have so much going on I doubt I’ll have any time off, but there are some songs I am working on for the next album. I’m massaging the material you might say! We’ve also just had a Mongol Horde rehearsal so things may be moving slowly but surely in that world. But the main focus at the moment is enjoying this moment, this tour and these experiences.