Singer-songwriter Frank Turner has just completed an intimate solo UK tour, and is now setting his sights on next week, which sees the release of his new album. Frank took the time to chat to Female First about the solo tour, England Keep My Bones and the future. -How has the recent solo tour been?
It's been a lot of fun, a nice change, both in terms of the size of venues and the type of shows, me not having the band with me this time.
-Have you had any stand-out shows from this run?
A few, sure. The Bristol show was really something else for me, in my top 5 shows I've ever played.
-Is there a different mentality going into solo shows, compared to ones with the full band?
Yeah. The Band shows are a little more regimented. These shows are more conversational, more fluid, more rambling.
-How did you go about choosing the set-lists for each night?
I generally make the bulk of them up as I go. There are staging points, I have an opening and closing run that I think work well, but mostly it's whatever takes my fancy on the night.
-Are there any songs you wish you could be playing, but just don’t have the time?
Sure, every night I feel like I could have played a few more. But I generally get them in the set the next night.
-Your support has been Ben Marwood and Franz Nicolay. What made you choose them?
They're both friends of mine, and both excellent musicians as well. I love the songs they write. This has been one of my favourite tour line-ups for a good while actually.
-Are you excited for the release of England Keep My Bones?
Very much so. The time lag between finishing a record and the release is always pretty frustrating.
-What sort of style can people expect from it?
It's not radically different from my previous efforts, but I have tried to be more ambitious, to push myself further in different directions stylistically. I hope people like it.
-Where did you draw on for your influences for this album?
All over the shop really. Early Dylan and later period Nick Cave have featured pretty heavily, as well as Dr Dog and Mewithoutyou.
-Do you have a favourite song from it?
It's a hard choice, but if forced I think I'd go for a song called 'Redemption'. It was tough to write and it's tough to sing, but it says some things I needed to say pretty well, I think.
-How far do you think you’ve come as a songwriter since you left Million Dead and went solo?
A long way. I don't really think I was a songwriter as such back then - more a contributor to a project.
-You still perform 'Smiling At Strangers On Trains.' Is there something special about that song, compared to other Million Dead tracks like 'To Whom It May Concern'?
That song has a special place in my heart for various personal reasons, and it translates well into the solo setting. I've messed around with a few other MD tracks, but to be honest I'd rather spend my time and energy working on new stuff of my own.
-You announced a few months ago that you finally had a name for your band. What prompted the naming of them?
We've been looking for a name that everyone was happy with for a long time, and only stumbled across The Sleeping Souls after this record was finished (it's a lyric in "I Am Disappeared").
-You’ve got a lot of festival dates over summer, which of these are you looking forward to most?
Reading & Leeds Festival main stage is going to be pretty epic, I think. Also Blissfields, where I'm headlining. Good times.
-According to your blog, pre-orders for your album are doing as well as Arctic Monkeys’ new album. How does that feel?
They were for a while, haha, I think I've been overtaken now. It feels good, I still feel like an underdog in my music career to be honest so that kind of thing is pretty awesome. I'm still an independent artist and I'm proud of it.
-Are you looking forward to playing in Croatia for the first time?
Hell yes. Never been before, despite studying the history for a while. Can't wait.
-Once the album’s released, what are your plans for the rest of the year?
Touring and more touring really.
-When you finish an album, do you just begin work on the next? Or are you looking to focus on anything else once the next stint of touring finishes?
I just kind of keep writing all the time and every now and again marshall what I have into a record. I don't know what I'll do next creatively speaking - I have a plan to work on some side projects sometime soon, take a break from being "FT", but then I said that after the last record too, haha. We shall see.
-As an artist, you seem to be expanding and growing this year more than ever. Where would you like to see yourself by the end of 2011?
I'm grateful for whatever the world chooses to throw at me - I'm still just happy to be a full-time travelling musician, to be honest. So who knows. I'll take what comes.
-Best of luck with the new album. Do you have a final message for our readers?
Come say hi at a show sometime.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
Singer-songwriter Frank Turner has just completed an intimate solo UK tour, and is now setting his sights on next week, which sees the release of his new album. Frank took the time to chat to Female First about the solo tour, England Keep My Bones and the future. -How has the recent solo tour been?
It's been a lot of fun, a nice change, both in terms of the size of venues and the type of shows, me not having the band with me this time.
-Have you had any stand-out shows from this run?
A few, sure. The Bristol show was really something else for me, in my top 5 shows I've ever played.
-Is there a different mentality going into solo shows, compared to ones with the full band?
Yeah. The Band shows are a little more regimented. These shows are more conversational, more fluid, more rambling.
-How did you go about choosing the set-lists for each night?
I generally make the bulk of them up as I go. There are staging points, I have an opening and closing run that I think work well, but mostly it's whatever takes my fancy on the night.
-Are there any songs you wish you could be playing, but just don’t have the time?
Sure, every night I feel like I could have played a few more. But I generally get them in the set the next night.
-Your support has been Ben Marwood and Franz Nicolay. What made you choose them?
They're both friends of mine, and both excellent musicians as well. I love the songs they write. This has been one of my favourite tour line-ups for a good while actually.
-Are you excited for the release of England Keep My Bones?
Very much so. The time lag between finishing a record and the release is always pretty frustrating.
-What sort of style can people expect from it?
It's not radically different from my previous efforts, but I have tried to be more ambitious, to push myself further in different directions stylistically. I hope people like it.
-Where did you draw on for your influences for this album?
All over the shop really. Early Dylan and later period Nick Cave have featured pretty heavily, as well as Dr Dog and Mewithoutyou.
-Do you have a favourite song from it?
It's a hard choice, but if forced I think I'd go for a song called 'Redemption'. It was tough to write and it's tough to sing, but it says some things I needed to say pretty well, I think.
-How far do you think you’ve come as a songwriter since you left Million Dead and went solo?
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