Music > Interviews

Frank Turner

29/08/14

Frank Turner

This guy. He’s a star of his own making. From the hallowed grounds of Eton to the grime of hardcore punk, Frank Turner’s seen it all, and that’s reflected in his ever-evolving and bountiful musical output. He’s a thoughtful, passionate and down to earth musician, who was the warm up act at the London Olympics but hates corporate events, likes to travel by public transport but thought Bob Dylan was rubbish live. Truly a down-to-earth, talented gentleman, who just bloody loves the music. Let’s dig deeper!

You were educated at Eton and LSE. What made you go into music as a career? Was it a rebellion against that more traditional lifestyle?

I was a scholarship student at Eton so I quite socially removed from my peers; I felt like a fish out of water whilst I was although it gave me an incredible education. I was pretty outraged by a lot of the social side of things there, and the way I escaped it in my head was by discovering punk rock. I’ve always been passionate about music, it’s the only thing I really care about.

You were originally the vocalist with Million Dead. What changed you musical style and how did you decide to go solo rather than create a new band?

Million Dead fell to pieces in a depressing way and I felt quite let down with how it went. I felt like I’d run out of things to say in the format of hardcore music and I didn’t want to be in a band again straight away. I wasn’t expecting what has happened to happen…I just thought it would be fun to try playing acoustic guitar and singing, which is very different to shouting with a hardcore band. I tried playing a few shows and they went well, so I kept doing it and here we are now nine years later!

How did your hardcore band Mongol Horde come about? Do you get some fans coming along who expect the Frank Turner Experience rather than Mongol Horde?

I think people have now twigged they are very different beasts. When we did one of our first Mongol Horde shows there was a girl at the front holding a sign that said ‘Wessex Boy’, and I just thought, “Oh god, I’m going to ruin your day!”. The tour we did in June was great.

How has your music changed as you’ve gone along? What influences you as a musician and a songwriter now?

I hope that my writing and songwriting has changed since my first record. People are mind-blowingly conservative about music. Every time I release a new record somebody somewhere says “Oh no, it sounds different to the last one!” But that’s the whole point; I’m trying not to repeat myself. I hope that I’ve improved over time, but that’s not really for me to say. I’m influenced by the music I listen to. At the moment I’ve been listening to Me Without You, Tom Petty and John K Sampson from The Weakerthans.

You were supported at Wembley in 2012 by Billy Bragg and you busked with him last year. Who do you consider to be the best songwriter of all time?

I would say John K Sampson from the Canadian band The Weakerthans. I’ve been into The Weakerthans for a very long time, since I was 16, but as I get older I just get more into them.  I think his songwriting is totally unimproveable.

 Tape Deck Heart, your most recent album was released last year. How would you describe it as a piece of work if you were reviewing it?

I can never be objective about any music that I make but I’ve got a tiny bit of hindsight on it now; we finished recording it at the end of 2012. In retrospect it’s considerably more intense and dark than I thought it was at the time. I’m not doing the record down, but in a way now creatively I feel like I have the freedom to move past it musically and lyrically.

 You’ve already released two compilations of unreleased tracks, B-sides and rarities and the Third Three Years is currently being compiled. Do you have a desire to keep music coming out continuously, rather than save them up for another album? Do you always have stuff in the pipeline?

I don’t really see the point of sitting on music really. Like most bands, in the early days I released singles and EP’s and compilations that had weird tracks on but were all going out of print and I wanted to make sure they were still available to people who wanted to pay for their music to get a complete collection. I make a lot of music and there’s always enough bits ‘n’ bobs floating around for me to bring out a compilation every three years.

 Your own beer, ‘Believe” came out in 2012 – is that still going? Do you have crates of it at your house?

I think it’s been wound up now, or at least I haven’t heard anything about it recently! When it first came out they offered me a crate to keep in my fridge but I felt uncomfortable opening my fridge and giving my friends my own beer! It might’ve been a bit self absorbed. It was a lovely beer and lots of my friends who run bars stocked it.

 You came first on Celebrity Mastermind with a specialist subject of Iron Maiden. Did you catch them at Sonisphere this year? Is it a nostalgia trip for you or do you still see them as a current band?

I did see them at Sonisphere and also in Copenhagen a few weeks before where I actually interviewed Bruce Dickinson for The Guardian, which was a weird and excellent experience. I think they are admirably balancing between the two. The set they played during this summer was mainly a nostalgia trip in terms of what they played, but they continue to produce new albums and play them out live and I think that’s really cool.

 You opened the London Olympics opening ceremony, watched by 25 million people worldwide. Was it a life changing experience for you?

Yes, a little bit life changing. It helped my career along and it’s a good thing to have on my CV; my mum was very happy. Some of the more mainstream press reporters only want to ask me about that, and think it was the greatest thing to ever happen to me. It was an odd gig, but it’s not my favourite gig I’ve ever done. I’m maniacal about music but I don’t really care about anything else at all. I’m really lucky to be able to do what I want to do, which is play music.

 You mentioned recently that when you saw Bob Dylan it was a bit shit and disappointing. What makes a great gig for you as a performer?

For me, gigs become interesting when they become more than a sum of their parts. When there’s a communion or connection between the performer and the audience. I try to break down the barrier between us; I really enjoy that.

Can you tell me about the idea behind your tour flag??

It was an idea that someone at my record label had and we’ve done it on two tours now. The flag has to get from show to show through sheer fan power; we’re not allowed to be involved in carrying it around. It always impresses me how it works out and I think it’s a cool idea!

 Your support for this time is a group called Koo Koo Kanga Roo, they look like a lot of fun! How did you come to invite them on tour with you?

We had them out on the road in America at the end of last year and they were consistently totally, totally amazing. They’re one of the best bands I’ve ever seen in my life- I watched them 54 times! I’m really looking forward to seeing them again.

 You’re playing UEA in September which is a smaller than normal venue for you.  We’re pleased to have you visit us!

I work quite hard to try and play different places; I don’t want to be one of those bands that just goes to London, Manchester and Glasgow. I find it boring, and I want to spread the love. I grew up in a place which was off the main touring circuit so I had to travel to gigs, and if ever a band came to my town it was amazing. Norwich is fun; I’ve played Norwich many, many times; I used to play at The Ferryboat back in the day although it’s no longer there now.

 Frank Turner plays at UEA on 11th September