Frank Turner has become a firm R13 favourite over the past two years. Having spoken to him several times before, we thought it was time for an update on his general plans and whereabouts for this summer. With new single ‘Reasons Not to be an Idiot’ due on 23rd June, this seemed the perfect opportunity for R13’s Adam Venton to catch up with the up-and-coming folk star.
R13: Hi Frank, a pleasure to talk to you again! What have you been up to since we last spoke (beginning of March, just before the album release)?
Frank A fair old amount of touring really. I did a big old UK tour in support of the album in April, with Andy Yorke, which was great, most of the
shows were sold out. The I went back to LA to sort out some contractual
stuff, before going on the road in the UK again with my friends The
Holloways. Since then it's been festival season really.
R13: How is the album doing, and has the way in which it's been received lived up to your expectations?
F: The album is doing well thanks, we're selling records, people are coming to shows and singing along with the new songs, it's great. People
generally seem to be into it, and to agree that it's a step forward from
the first album, so yeah, I'm pretty happy.
R13: You recently went out on tour with The Holloways. How did it go for you, and how did the fans react to the new material?
F: It was great to go out with those guys, they and their crew are old
friends of mine, so it was fun socially as well as being good shows.
Their crowd seemed to be pretty into my stuff, and I had a lot of my own
fans coming down as well, so it was a good week or two.
R13: What were The Holloways like to tour with, were there many raucous parties? Any interesting or embarrassing stories you can divulge?
F: Well, they certainly know how to have fun on the road. Dave, their
drummer, is a very old friend of mine, so we got drunk together a fair
few times. I seem to remember us careering around Glasgow at 3am
consumed by the need to buy bread, fucking bread!! Other than that I got
into an altercation with someone who tried to steal my hat - he got a
smack for his troubles, it was all terribly dramatic and so on.
R13: You have a busy tour schedule throughout the summer including some big festivals including Reading and Leeds and Glastonbury. Which are you
looking forward to most and why?
F: Two Thousand Trees Festival was great last year and is shaping up to be better this year, though it's a shame that Reuben have pulled out.
Reading is basically my favourite festival, because I grew up with it,
it's fun to play, and the crowd is also awesome. I'm also proud of the
fact that I'm doing the punk stage at Reading and the Cambridge Folk
Festival. That's an achievement, in my view.
R13: How do you approach these festival appearances - is your
preparation any different to a 'normal' tour date?
F: The set list choice for a festival is a little more crowd-pleasing, if you see what I mean - it's not a forum for trying out experimental new
material, let's say. Otherwise, it's important to stay in shape over the
summer musically, it's generally gigs at the weekend and fallow in the
week, and it's easy to get slack in that environment.
R13: Does it feel different to be playing these large stages and events as a solo artist rather than with Million Dead? If so, in what way?
F: Well, aside from Reading we never did that much in the way of big
festivals with MD. The vibe is different because the material is
different. Something I openly aim for in what I do now is a communal,
singalong vibe, and (hopefully) festivals are great for that, bringing a
lot of people together. There's less of the naked aggression than in MD,
heh.
R13: Are you still in contact with your ex-bandmates? If so what do they think of your progress since the split? Are they a touch envious
perhaps?
F: Ben and I have been close since we were 11 years old, so unsurprisingly we're still in touch. His new band Armed Response Unit are fucking excellent. Julia and Tom I see occasionally. I think on the whole
they're quite proud of what I'm achiveing, in a roundabout way. I think
it's recognized that we were never going to make this kind of music in
MD, and that this is where I'm happiest right now. There's no open
emnity.
R13: Have you had any thoughts about what direction you are going to
take with the next record or are you soaking up the reaction to this one?
F: I've started thinking about it, started writing. I'm interested in
getting more into traditional sounds and instrumentation actually, in
getting deeper into Englishness. As with the last record I don't think
there's going to be any violent left-hand-turns, I'm still exploring
this corner of music, but yeah, I think some more folky sounds will
probably predominate. We'll see.
R13: Have you started writing new material while on tour or is it too
soon at the moment? Maybe it is time for a breather after two albums in
such a short space of time!?
F: Well, I finished writing the last album in September last year, so it's been a while, and I have a whole bunch of new songs on the table being
tinkered with. But I think it's safe to say I'm not in any hurry to
crack on, not as much as last time. I'd like to rehearse the next record
with the band before recording rather than afterwards, to try and give
the songs a more organic, lived-in sound. I've been playing with Chris
T-T in my band a little of late, and he's a fantastic creative foil for
me, so maybe we'll write or produce some stuff together, who knows.
R13: Ok, random question - being summertime, where would you prefer to be: country pub garden with a lager, or a sandy beach with a cocktail?
F: Country pub every time. Sand and salt-water piss me off.
R13: Many thanks as always Frank, and all the best for the summer and
beyond. Be sure to come back to us in the near future!
F: My pleasure.