Music

10 reasons we can’t help but love Frank Turner

Besides the obvious (his grand musical skills), English troubadour Frank Turner is pretty damn special – don’t believe us? Just keep readin’

He’s just played Reading & Leeds for the tenth year in a row (world-record, by the way!) and announced a massive 20-date UK tour, playing the most intimate. So to celebrate, here’s 10 (one for every year at R&L) reasons to love Frank.

  1. Poetic genius, punk-rock style

Listening to Frank’s lyrics can be downright enlightening. He put feelings into words that we’ve all felt before. Frank’s songs have a tendency to become anthems of friendship, heartbreak and love which is why his fans are so excited about the intimate new tour. Hey, there’s just nothing quite like singing along to the words of I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous.

  1. He’s down-to-earth

Frank Turner might be famous, but he’s still one of the people. You’ll still catch him talking fans after each (or most) of his shows; he’s happy to respond to fan tweets, emails and the like. He’s even got a gallery on his Facebook page called #meandfrank: a collection of fan photos shared on Twitter. It only goes to show that he hasn’t forgot his roots or the fans that let him do what he does so well.

  1. He makes us laugh

Who doesn’t love a man with a good sense of humour? Whether it’s an end of tour on-stage party, in-show banter, hilarious tweets and Instagram posts or his latest video for Love Forty Down, Frank’s got the LOLs – just see for yourself.

  1. Good guy Frank

Frank Turner is a charitable guy. He’s played shows for the likes of Teenage Cancer Trust, and is a firm supporter of the Music Venue Trust and their aim to save the UK’s grassroots music venues. Now having partnered with Plus 1, £1 of every ticket sale for his upcoming tour goes to War Child UK, too.

  1. Tour flags – connecting fans one show at a time

For every tour, there’s a tour flag. Usually made by the fans and carried from stop-to-stop it’s a great way of connecting fans and showing fandom. But the best thing is that flag carriers generally get given lots of hugs and free drinks at shows. The flag even has its own Twitter account.

  1. The Frank Turner Army

You know these guys, right? A group of die-hard Turner fans building a community that hosts a space for ticket exchanges, fan meet-ups, tour news, tour flag organising (see!) and general shenanigans in support of the English folk hero.

  1. Adorable tour dogs

Okay, this may be more in adoration of very cute dogs than Turner himself, but in our defence Frank does meet some of the most lovable pooches around while out on tour. Just look at these faces!

 

  1. Listening to Frank Turner never gets boring

No matter how many times you’ve played each album, those tunes make the world right again. Just avoid listening to Frank Turner on shuffle – it can be a Russian roulette of emotions: euphoria, anarchy, heartbreak, friendship, loss, love… but you know, whatever works for you.

  1. The show must go on… and on and on

Frank plays an average of 180 shows a year, and has played 149 shows to date this year alone. He’s played almost 2,000 shows in 11 years across 43 countries and four continents, including international waters on the Salty Dog Cruise with Flogging Molly. We salute you, Frank!

Frank shows off the tour flag

Frank shows off the tour flag

  1. Smaller gigs are still on the bill

The newly announced 20-date tour will take Frank and The Sleeping Souls across the country. Filled with small venues, it’s going to be a series of great intimate shows. The tour will kick-off at City Hall in Salisbury on 18 November and find its final high at Portsmouth’s Guildhall on 14 December. Supporting on the run will be Felix Hagan and Esme Patterson as special guests.

And there you have it. Nothing but love for Frank.

Tickets for Frank’s upcoming UK tour are on sale from 09:00 tomorrow over at Ticketmaster.co.uk.