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Francis Edward Turner (born 28 December 1981) is an English
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
and
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Hampshire. He began his career as the vocalist of
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
band
Million Dead Million Dead are an English post-hardcore band from London, active between 2000 and 2005 with a reunion planned for 2025. History The band was founded in 2000 by Cameron Dean and Julia Ruzicka, after both came to London from Australia. They we ...
, then embarked upon a primarily acoustic-based solo career following the band's split in 2005. In the studio and during live performances, Turner is accompanied by his backing band, The Sleeping Souls, which consists of Ben Lloyd (guitar, mandolin), Tarrant Anderson (bass), Matt Nasir (piano, mandolin) and Callum Green (drums). To date, Turner has released ten solo albums, four rarities compilation albums, one retrospective "best of" album, one split album and five
EPs An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
. Turner's ninth studio album, '' FTHC'' was released on 11 February 2022 and reached number 1 in the UK albums chart in the week following its release.


Early life

Turner was born to Jane Cartwright, a primary school head teacher, and Miranda Turner, an investment banker, who came out as a trans woman in 2015. Upon returning to England, the family settled first in
Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
before moving to Meonstoke. His maternal grandfather is Richard Fox Cartwright (1913–2009), Bishop of Plymouth. Through Miranda, his grandparents are Sir (Ronald) Mark (Cunliffe) Turner (1906–1980),Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage 2003, vol. 3, p. 4027 a merchant banker who was also the chairman of high street retailer BHS, and Margaret, daughter of Sir Hereward Wake, 13th Baronet. As a child, Turner played the piano, before teaching himself to play the guitar at the age of 11. He discovered his love for music through seeing an
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
poster on his friend's bedroom wall whilst playing Warhammer, and he convinced his parents to buy him a copy of the album Killers and later a guitar. Turner was educated at Summer Fields and subsequently on a scholarship at
Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
, where he studied alongside
Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...
. He has since described his experiences of being at boarding school as traumatic, having led to periods of self-harm and suicidal ideation.


Musical career


Beginnings and Million Dead

The first record Turner owned was the album '' Killers'' by
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
.
Metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
was the first genre of music he fell in love with, and he remains a passionate fan. Turner's musical career began at school, with the short-lived alternative band Kneejerk. The band released three records and played several shows around the UK. The last record, their only full-length, was titled ''The Half-Life of Kissing'' and was released by Yorkshire DIY hardcore label Sakari Empire after the band had broken up. In 2001, Turner joined London post- hardcore band
Million Dead Million Dead are an English post-hardcore band from London, active between 2000 and 2005 with a reunion planned for 2025. History The band was founded in 2000 by Cameron Dean and Julia Ruzicka, after both came to London from Australia. They we ...
at the invitation of former Kneejerk drummer Ben Dawson. In 2005, after four years and two albums, the band announced that they were parting ways, for "irreconcilable differences within the band mean that it would be impossible to continue." Around that time, Turner got a tape with
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
's ''
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
'' on it; he later said "That was a really big moment for me hearing that record in terms of a turn around in my music career, from hardcore punk bands to what I'm doing now."


''Sleep is for the Week'' and ''Love Ire and Song'' (2005–2008)

Turner's first solo shows took place prior to the break-up of
Million Dead Million Dead are an English post-hardcore band from London, active between 2000 and 2005 with a reunion planned for 2025. History The band was founded in 2000 by Cameron Dean and Julia Ruzicka, after both came to London from Australia. They we ...
, with a set at the Smalltown America all-dayer at 93 Feet East in London. After the band's split, Turner felt that "it seemed like the logical thing to do to try my hand at playing these songs more publicly and more concertedly than before". Turner states that "when
Million Dead Million Dead are an English post-hardcore band from London, active between 2000 and 2005 with a reunion planned for 2025. History The band was founded in 2000 by Cameron Dean and Julia Ruzicka, after both came to London from Australia. They we ...
finished, I wanted to stay on tour, but I didn’t want the hassle of putting a band together." After a split EP with rock band
Reuben Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob. Variants include Reuvein in Yiddish or as an English variant spelling on th ...
, Turner's first solo EP, '' Campfire Punkrock'', was released in May 2006 on Xtra Mile Recordings, with him being recorded and backed by Oxford band Dive Dive whom he had met while out on tour with Reuben. Band members Tarrant Anderson, Ben Lloyd and
Nigel Powell Nigel Powell (born 1 October 1971) is an English multi-instrumental musician from Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon. Powell was born in Bromley, London, and educated at Abingdon School. While at school he was in a band called Illiterate Hands, whic ...
would become his backing band from this point on, with most of his subsequent UK headline tours being full band shows. After Turner toured in support of American singer-songwriter Jonah Matranga, the two released a
split EP A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "v ...
in August 2006. In September, Turner was the last act to appear on
Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with BBC Radio 6 Music. Lamacq was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire ( ...
's ''Lamacq Live'' show on
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
. Turner's debut full-length studio album, ''
Sleep Is for the Week ''Sleep Is for the Week'' is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Frank Turner, released on 15 January 2007 on Xtra Mile Recordings. The album was produced by Turner's guitarist Ben Lloyd, and recorded between August and Septemb ...
'' was released in January 2007, again recorded at Dive Dive's studio, produced by their guitarist Ben Lloyd and featuring drummer Nigel Powell. After an extensive tour, including dates supporting yourcodenameis:milo and
Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish Rock music, rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, composed of Simon Neil (lead vocals, guitar) and twin brothers James Johnston (Scottish musician), James (bass, backing vocals) and Ben Johnston (Scottish musician), Be ...
, and an appearance at
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
, Turner released an EP, '' The Real Damage'', in May 2007. After a further tour with Jonah Matranga and Jacob Golden, the "All About The Destination" DVD was released in October 2007, before Turner returned to the studio in
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
to record his second album. The album, '' Love Ire & Song'' again saw Ben Lloyd from Dive Dive in the producer's seat, and was released on 31 March 2008, followed by an extensive UK tour with Andy Yorke and Chris T-T. T-T also joined the live lineup on keyboards through summer 2008. During summer 2008, Turner made several festival appearances, including sets at Y Not Festival, Two Thousand Trees Festival, the
Cambridge Folk Festival The Cambridge Folk Festival is an annual music festival, established in 1965, held in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall in Cherry Hinton, one of the villages subsumed by the city of Cambridge, England. The festival is known for its eclectic mix ...
,
Truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...
,
Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...
, Jam by the Lake (in Durham) and the
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...
. In October/November, during his 2008 UK Tour for the '' Love, Ire and Song'' album, he became ill with
gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea, is an inflammation of the Human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of ...
, and was forced to leave the stage in Nottingham halfway through his set. All remaining shows, which included
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
,
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, were cancelled, the first time that Turner as a solo artist had cancelled any show in 10 years. He went on to reschedule all cancelled shows in January 2009. In December 2008, Turner released '' The First Three Years'', a compilation of demos, B-sides and covers that were not featured on either of his first two studio albums.


''Poetry of the Deed'' (2009–2010)

In January 2009, Turner released a combined package of '' Love Ire & Song'' and '' The First Three Years'', and supported the Gaslight Anthem on their tour of the UK and Europe, demoing several new songs and announcing his plans to record a new album. The new album was produced by Alex Newport. Recording took place in April and May 2009 at Leeders Farm in
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
and the producer's own studio, Future Shock, in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Turner's band at the time still consisted of Ben Lloyd, Tarrant Anderson and
Nigel Powell Nigel Powell (born 1 October 1971) is an English multi-instrumental musician from Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon. Powell was born in Bromley, London, and educated at Abingdon School. While at school he was in a band called Illiterate Hands, whic ...
from Dive Dive, with keyboardist Matt Nasir having been added on the '' Love, Ire and Song'' tour. Prior to recording '' Poetry of the Deed'', Turner stated that: Turner was announced as the support act on
The Offspring The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...
's summer tour, during which he documented his travels with a blog on British music website ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''. When talking about the support slot, Turner stated: "'' Smash'' was one of the first punk records I ever bought, and I’m blown away to even be considered for the shows. From a "career" point of view, it's also great – playing to many thousands of people a night across the States is an opportunity not to be sniffed at." On 28 April 2009, Turner signed with
Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, frontman of the punk rock band Rancid. Several ...
for releases outside the UK. Turner's third studio album, Poetry of the Deed, was released on 7 September 2009, and reached No. 36 in the UK album chart. The album's first single, "The Road", received the status of 'Hottest Record in the World Today' by
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
DJ
Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...
on 14 July 2009. The track, "Poetry of the Deed," was released as the second single from the album. In late 2009, Turner embarked upon a UK tour with his band in support of the album (with singer-songwriter Beans On Toast and US band Fake Problems as support acts), culminating in a sell-out show at the
O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was original ...
on 29 October 2009. A live DVD/CD, entitled ''Take to the Road'', documenting two shows from the tour (
O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was original ...
and the Union Chapel) was released in the UK in March 2010. In November 2009, Turner toured the US alongside Chuck Ragan, Jim Ward,
Tim Barry Tim Barry is an American musician and the lead singer of the Richmond, Virginia-based punk rock band Avail. In addition to performing with Avail, he was the bass guitarist in the Richmond-based folk punk band (Young) Pioneers from 1994 to ...
,
Joey Cape Randall Joseph Cape (born November 16, 1966) is an American singer and musician. Active since 1989, Cape is best known as the frontman of the Punk rock in California, California punk rock band Lagwagon. Cape released his first solo album, ''Br ...
, Dave Hause, and others, as part of the 2009 Revival Tour. Turner returned to Europe on 28 November and to the UK on 19 December. He completed the year with a New Year's Eve show at The Spiegeltent in Gloucester. In early 2010, Turner played several more UK gigs, with Chuck Ragan and Crazy Arm supporting. He also accompanied
Flogging Molly Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk band formed in Los Angeles in 1997, led by Irish vocalist Dave King, formerly of the hard rock band Fastway. They are signed to their own record label, Borstal Beat Records. Histor ...
and The Architects on the 2010 Green 17 Tour, and announced via his Twitter that he was working on new songs. From 22 April to 1 May 2010, Turner toured Australia with Chuck Ragan,
Tim Barry Tim Barry is an American musician and the lead singer of the Richmond, Virginia-based punk rock band Avail. In addition to performing with Avail, he was the bass guitarist in the Richmond-based folk punk band (Young) Pioneers from 1994 to ...
, and Ben Nichols of Lucero for the 2010 Revival Tour. In May 2010 Turner travelled to China to play a six city tour with promoters Split Works. In June 2010 he supported
Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
on their stadium shows, and also featured as the cover star of ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
'' magazine for the first time, with an article inside documenting his solo career up to that point. Turner played at many festivals throughout the summer of 2010, including his headlining appearance at the Two Thousand Trees Festival, playing his new song "I Still Believe". The song was released first as a single and then appeared on his '' Rock & Roll EP''. Turner also contributed one song, a cover of " Build Me Up Buttercup", to Centrepoint's 2010 charity cover album ''1969 Key to Change''.
On 24 September 2010, Turner released Buddies (EP), Buddies, a 10 track split album with American
alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...
artist, Jon Snodgrass. The pair recorded the album in
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
whilst on tour together.


''Rock and Roll EP'', ''England Keep My Bones'' and Möngöl Hörde (2011–2012)

On 25 January 2011, he was nominated for two Shockwaves NME Awards, for best Solo Artist and best Band Blog or Twitter. Turner announced on his Twitter on 24 February 2011 that his fourth studio album would be called ''
England Keep My Bones ''England Keep My Bones'' is the fourth studio album by London-based singer-songwriter Frank Turner, released on 6 June 2011, on Xtra Mile in the United Kingdom, and on 7 June 2011, on Epitaph Records worldwide. Preceded by the single, " Pegg ...
'' and that it would be released in the UK on 6 June 2011 and worldwide on 7 June 2011. He also announced details of solo tours in Australia, Germany, the UK, and the US & Canada. Turner started the recording of this album on 10 January 2011 and finished recording on 20 January 2011, with mixing completed in February 2011. In March 2011, Turner stated that: Turner leaked a new song, "I Am Disappeared," to YouTube on 29 March 2011, later making it available for free download through Xtra Mile. He also announced that he would soon be releasing "Peggy Sang the Blues" as the first single from the album. On 21 March 2011, it was announced that Turner would be making the step up to the main stage at Reading and Leeds in August 2011. He spoke about the "perks" of playing Reading in an interview with 6 Towns Radio. Turner also played
Download In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar systems. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...
,
Blissfields Blissfields was an annual music festival in Hampshire, England founded by Paul and Mel Bliss in 2001 at Bradley Farm, Bradley, near New Alresford, Alresford. In 2011 the festival moved to a new site in Vicarage Farm, Woodmancott near Winchester. ...
and
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
Folk festivals, as well as many other festivals across Europe, and as a headliner at
Blissfields Blissfields was an annual music festival in Hampshire, England founded by Paul and Mel Bliss in 2001 at Bradley Farm, Bradley, near New Alresford, Alresford. In 2011 the festival moved to a new site in Vicarage Farm, Woodmancott near Winchester. ...
Festival. On 21 April 2011, Turner played his 1000th solo show at the
Strummerville The Joe Strummer Foundation is a non-profit organisation which promotes the development of new music. It was established in memory of punk rock singer and guitarist Joe Strummer shortly after his death in December 2002. Strummer's widow Lucind ...
festival in
Shoreditch Shoreditch is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Hackney alongside neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets, which are also perceived as part of the area due to historic ecclesiastical links. Shoreditch lies just north ...
, London. Several songs from ''
England Keep My Bones ''England Keep My Bones'' is the fourth studio album by London-based singer-songwriter Frank Turner, released on 6 June 2011, on Xtra Mile in the United Kingdom, and on 7 June 2011, on Epitaph Records worldwide. Preceded by the single, " Pegg ...
'' were debuted at Play Fest (a new music festival in Norfolk) on 28 May 2011. During his May 2011 tour, Turner played a new song, tentatively titled "Rod Stewart". This song was later retitled "Sailor's Boots" and was released as the B-side to "If Ever I Stray". ''England Keep My Bones'' entered the UK chart at number 12 on its week of release, Turner's highest charting album at that point (later surpassed by ''FTHC'', released 11 February 2022, which reached #1). Turner later released a rarities compilation, titled '' The Second Three Years'', on 18 November 2011 through Xtra Mile Recordings and 16 January 2012 through Epitaph Records. The album compiled material recorded after the release of Turner's first compilation, '' The First Three Years'', that did not appear on either of Turner's two successive studio albums, including tracks from EPs, singles, covers and unreleased material. In spring 2012, he played several dates in Canada as an opening act for
Joel Plaskett William Joel MacDonald Plaskett (born April 18, 1975) is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of gen ...
."Joel Plaskett's Announces 'Scrappy Happiness' LP, Canadian Tour with Frank Turner"
''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'', 6 January 2012.
On 13 April 2012, Turner headlined
Wembley Arena Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...
to a sold-out crowd of 12,000. Support for the show came from Beans On Toast, dan le sac vs Scroobius Pip and
Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic th ...
. On 27 July 2012, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls performed at the pre-show for the
London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
Olympics Opening Ceremony. The band played "Sailor's Boots", "Wessex Boy", and "I Still Believe". In August 2012, Turner unveiled his new side project, Möngöl Hörde, a hardcore band including drummer Ben Dawson (formerly of Million Dead) and Sleeping Souls keyboardist Matt Nasir on guitar. The group played their first shows in London and Leeds shortly before playing at the
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...
, where they debuted some new material and covered tracks by acts including
The Streets The Streets is an English musical project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner (musician), Mike Skinner. The project was founded in the early 90s, while Skinner was still a teenager; however, no music would formally eventuat ...
and
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
. In October 2012, 'Believe', Turner's own beer, a 4.8% modern wheat beer brewed with Signature Brew, was announced. Turner opened for the
Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The current lineup consists of co-lead vocalist and bassist Ken Casey, drummer Matt Kelly, co-lead vocalist Al Barr (on hiatus from the band since 202 ...
on their European tour, also headlining a tour in November and December 2012.


''Tape Deck Heart'', ''Möngöl Hörde'' and ''The Third Three Years'' (2013–2014)

Turner recorded his fifth studio album in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
, in October 2012. The decision to record abroad for the first time in California was due to producer
Rich Costey Richard Costey is an American music producer, mixer, and engineer. He has worked with musicians across genres including rock, indie, pop, hip-hop, and electronica. Notable collaborators include Fiona Apple, Vampire Weekend, Foo Fighters, Sig ...
’s refusal to bring all of his equipment to England, so he persuaded Turner to record in Burbank instead. Turner announced via Twitter on 28 October 2012 that recording was completed, and mixing and mastering would be done in time for a March 2013 release date. During the November and December 2012 UK tour, a CD titled ''Good Hangs'' from Xtra Mile Recordings was distributed for free at Turner shows; this included a yet-to-be-released Turner song titled "Tattoos" plus the Möngöl Hörde song "Casual Threats From Weekend Hardmen". On Christmas Day 2012, the song "Four Simple Words" was released on the Xtra Mile Recordings' website as a free download along with the B-side "Cowboy Chords". On 4 January 2013, a video was shot for what would be the first single. On the same day Turner announced on Twitter that the single was the song "Recovery". On 9 January, Turner revealed the titles of all 13 songs on his new album via Instagram. This included songs played during the UK and US tours of 2012 such as "Anymore", "Plain Sailing Weather", "We Shall Not Overcome" and "Tell Tale Signs". He also posted on his fan forum that an extended edition of the album would include an extra 5 or 6 songs. On 19 February 2013, it was announced that Turner had signed a licensing deal with
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
in the US for '' Tape Deck Heart''. Following the release of the album, Turner embarked on a short UK tour. He was also confirmed as the headline act for the Two Thousand Trees Festival and main stage slots at the
Reading and Leeds festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...
. Following the success of the album, Turner embarked on a UK arena tour, including a date at London's O2 Arena. On 3 January 2014, Turner appeared on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's Celebrity Mastermind answering questions on
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
, scoring 20 points in total (7 on his specialist subject), and coming first. In 2014 Turner and Möngöl Hörde released a full-length self-titled studio album, and toured in support of that album in late June, playing a run of smaller venues. In July of that year, Turner also announced a 15 Date UK tour, playing places that wouldn't normally feature live music such as local town halls. On 25 July 2014, Turner announced on his Twitter page that he was collating '' The Third Three Years''. It was released on 24 November 2014.


''The Road Beneath My Feet'' and ''Positive Songs for Negative People'' (2015–2016)

In 2014, Turner announced that he was in the process of writing a book, consisting of tour diaries and travel memoirs, asking fans to contribute to the book by sending in stories and pictures they shared with Turner. The book, titled ''The Road Beneath My Feet'', named after lyrics from Turner's song "The Road", was released on 26 March 2015, published by Headline Publishing Group. Following the book release, Turner embarked on a 2015 book tour, which included signings, question-and-answer sessions and live solo performances from Turner. The book went straight into the bestseller charts. On 20 March 2015, Turner released a lyric video promoting a new song called "Get Better" which was to be on his sixth album. Alongside it, he offered a free download of the song from his website. On 29 April 2015, following several posts of a similar nature on social media, a picture was posted of the mastered album with no artwork. This was followed by an Instagram post on 11 May 2015, in which Turner shared the album's cover and its title, '' Positive Songs for Negative People''. On 1 June 2015, it was announced that Turner would play a set at
Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...
2015 on the Other Stage. On 15 June 2015 Turner released the music video for "The Next Storm," the second single from ''Positive Songs...''. The video features former mixed martial artist and
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
professional wrestler
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
. Turner then released a three-song acoustic session on the website PunksInVegas.com, premiering "Josephine," "Love Forty Down" and "Glorious You". '' Positive Songs for Negative People'', produced by Butch Walker at his studio in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, was released worldwide on 31 July 2015. A deluxe edition of the album was also made available featuring solo acoustic versions of 10 of the 12 original album tracks. On 20 November 2015, a deluxe vinyl boxed set was released by Xtra Mile Recordings, entitled ''The First Ten Years'', it brought together Turner's 3 compilation albums: ''The First Three Years'', ''The Second Three Years'' and ''The Third Three Years'', together with a new rarities disc, named ''Ten For Ten''. ''Ten for Ten'' was also issued as a separate release on 12 February 2016. On 26 August 2016, Turner played the
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...
for the 10th year in a row which is a record. This was his 1,955th show as a musician.


''Songbook'' and ''Be More Kind'' (2017–2018)

On 27 January 2017, Turner re-released his debut album, ''
Sleep Is for the Week ''Sleep Is for the Week'' is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Frank Turner, released on 15 January 2007 on Xtra Mile Recordings. The album was produced by Turner's guitarist Ben Lloyd, and recorded between August and Septemb ...
'', as a tenth anniversary edition. The re-released album was issued on CD and vinyl and consisted of 2 discs, the first being the original album and the second being a copy of Turner's very early CDR demo disc, including 6 demos. The release also included a download link for ''Live at the Vic'', a recording of Turner's performance at the Victoria,
Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...
on 6 April 2007. On 10 February 2017, Turner released a new song entitled "The Sand in the Gears", a political song that seemingly refers to the election of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
as the President of the United States. The track was recorded live on 19 January 2017 at the Fillmore in
Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, it is an edge city with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ...
. In March 2017, Turner was invited to visit
Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...
,
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
, by The Joe Strummer Foundation. The foundation raises funds in the UK and distributes them to various charitable groups worldwide, including Way Out Arts, which brings music to disadvantaged street kids in Sierra Leone. Turner gave guitar lessons to some of the students at Way Out Arts, played and spoke on a local radio station and visited a number of city
slum A slum is a highly populated Urban area, urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are p ...
s where he played to the residents. He followed up this trip with further visits to
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
in 2019 and 2020. Throughout 2017, Turner and other members of the Sleeping Souls sporadically posted images of the band in the studio, eventually confirmed to be the sessions for his seventh studio album, with Turner revealing on social media in early November that recording for the album had been completed. On 16 October 2017, Turner announced ''Songbook'', a collection of old and personal favourite songs, as well as rerecorded and unreleased versions of old songs, to be released on 24 November 2017. ''Songbook'' included a new song "There She Is", which Turner confirmed to also be on his upcoming seventh studio album through an Instagram story in November. On 27 January 2018, Turner announced his seventh studio album ''Be More Kind'' and leaked a track from the album, "1933". On 16 March 2018, Turner released the first official single from the album, "Blackout." '' Be More Kind'' was recorded at Niles City Sound in
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
and was released worldwide on 4 May 2018. On 2 June 2018, Turner re-released his second album, '' Love Ire & Song'', as a tenth anniversary edition. The re-released album was issued on CD and vinyl and consisted of two discs, the first being the original album and the second including demos and recordings of radio performances on the
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...
show. The release also included a download link for Turner's performance at the Social,
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
, on 12 April 2008.


''Try This at Home'' and ''No Man's Land'' (2019–2020)

On 24 January 2019, Turner released the ''Don't Worry'' EP, the title track of which was previously included on his 2018 album, '' Be More Kind''. A reworked version of "Little Changes" was included, together with two new songs. Turner published his sophomore book ''Try This at Home: Adventures in Songwriting'' on 21 March 2019. Again published through Headline Publishing Group, the book focuses on the stories surrounding various songs throughout his career, starting with some of his earliest songs and continuing all the way through to his most recent material. Turner supported the release of the book with a series of in store signings and solo shows. On 8 March 2019, at a show in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, Turner debuted a new song entitled "I Believed You William Blake". This song was revealed to be part of Turner's upcoming eighth studio album when he debuted the entire tracklist at a later show in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
on 15 May 2019. Turner contributed vocals to the song "Let 'Em Go" by
the Wildhearts The Wildhearts are an English Rock music, rock band, formed in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as the Beatl ...
on the album '' Renaissance Men'', released on 3 May 2019. Turner has made many live appearances with the Wildhearts, has publicly spoken of his love of the band and friendship with Ginger Wildheart. On 31 May 2019, Turner re-released his third album, '' Poetry of the Deed'', as a tenth anniversary edition. The re-released album was issued on CD and vinyl and consisted of two discs, the first being the original album and the second including several album demos. The release also included a download link for Turner's intimate performance at
Union Chapel, Islington Union Chapel is a working Congregational church, live-entertainment venue and charity drop-in centre for the homeless in Islington, London, England. Built in the late 19th century in the Gothic revival style, the church is a Listed building, G ...
on 19 December 2009. Turner announced his new album, '' No Man's Land'', across his social media on 26 June 2019. He revealed the album name, as well as the concept and theme of the album, which focuses on and celebrates the life and stories of historical women. He also announced a companion podcast to the album, titled ''Tales from No Man's Land''. Each episode of the podcast goes into more detail about the album and the stories behind each of the songs. The podcast also features guest musicians. ''No Man's Land'' was released worldwide on 16 August 2019. On 9 August 2019 Turner and his band were the main act for Friday evening at
Fairport's Cropredy Convention Fairport's Cropredy Convention (formerly Cropredy Festival) is an annual festival of folk and rock music, headed by British folk-rock band Fairport Convention and held on the edge of the village of Cropredy in Oxfordshire, England. The festi ...
in Cropredy, near
Banbury Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...
. The album's lead single, "Sister Rosetta", and its accompanying podcast episode were released on 3 July 2019. The song's lyrics tell the story of gospel singer-songwriter and guitarist
Sister Rosetta Tharpe Sister Rosetta Tharpe (born Rosetta Nubin, March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. She gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spirit ...
, who heavily influenced later rock-and-roll musicians such as
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
,
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
and
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
. For the song's podcast episode, Turner hosted alongside fellow musician Emily Barker (who had also written a song about Tharpe) and discussed her legacy. Turner promoted ''No Man's Land'' with a run of nine shows across the UK, starting at the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, on 22 November 2019 and finishing at
Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A listed building, Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and th ...
, London, on 3 December 2019. These differed from Turner's typical performances: all venues were seated, and the shows were split into two distinct sets. The first set was a solo set that saw Turner playing songs from '' No Man's Land'' and telling the stories behind the songs and the historical women about whom they were written. The second part of the show saw Turner play with the full band, but the production was more stripped-back and thoughtful than a usual Turner set. The recording of his show at City Hall in Newcastle on 27 November 2019 was released as a live album on 24 April 2020. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
of 2020, it was only released digitally. On 13 December 2019, Turner released a live recording of his 2000th show. The release was issued on CD and DVD and documented his performance at Rock City,
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
, on 15 December 2016. The DVD tracklisting includes a version of the classic
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...
track " Ace of Spades". On 31 July 2020, ''
West Coast vs. Wessex ''West Coast vs. Wessex'' is a split album by the American punk rock band NOFX and the British folk punk artist Frank Turner. The split was released on July 31, 2020 by Fat Wreck Chords and it features Cover version, covers of each other's song ...
,'' a split album with Los Angeles band
NOFX NOFX () was an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin were original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...
, was released on Fat Wreck Chords. The ten-track album saw each act cover five songs from each other's discography. On 13 November 2020, Turner released ''Buddies II: Still Buddies'', a follow-up to 2010's '' Buddies (EP), Buddies'' EP. The ten-track album saw Turner once again team up with friend Jon Snodgrass. As with the 2010 original, the album was written in one day; however, this time the writing and recording process had to take place remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. ''Buddies II'' is the first album that Turner recorded, mixed and mastered on his own.


''FTHC'' and ''Undefeated'' (2021–present)

On 8 April 2021, Turner hosted a show with long-term friend Emily Barker which was streamed live from the Tunbridge Wells Forum. The show, entitled 'Barker-Turner Overdrive' (a play on the name of the band Bachman-Turner Overdrive) saw Turner and Barker play classic duet songs from country and pop artists. The set also included a new song, "Bound For Home", which Turner and Barker wrote together and later released as a single on 14 May 2021. On 6 May 2021, Turner released a new track, "The Gathering", a song about people coming back together following the COVID-19 pandemic and
lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
of 2020. The track features
Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
drummer Dominic Howard, and
Jason Isbell Michael Jason Isbell ( ; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. One of the most celebrated contemporary songwriters in his genre, his lyrics are defined by their raw emotional honesty. Isbell began his career as a me ...
on guitar. On 4 June 2021, Turner re-released his fourth album, ''
England Keep My Bones ''England Keep My Bones'' is the fourth studio album by London-based singer-songwriter Frank Turner, released on 6 June 2011, on Xtra Mile in the United Kingdom, and on 7 June 2011, on Epitaph Records worldwide. Preceded by the single, " Pegg ...
'', as a tenth-anniversary edition. The re-released album was issued on coloured vinyl and consisted of two discs: the first being the original album, and the second including never-before-heard session demos recorded in
El Paso El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
. The release also included a download link for exclusive album demos recorded at Blacksmith Studios,
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
. On 19 June, whilst also simultaneously playing live in
Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, South West England. It is the main town of the Torridge District, Torridge Districts of England, local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bi ...
, Turner appeared (as part of pre-recorded segments) on ''Scott Doonican's Big Neet in'', a lockdown livestream YouTube show, hosted by the lead singer of
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
-based comedy band
The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican are a British comedy folk music, folk and Parody music, parody band from Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Formed in 2006, they claim to be the hardest working comedy band in the UK, having played over 1350 show ...
. He was interviewed by a blue-haired Scottish puppet journalist called Gloria McGlumpher and performed a version of his own song "The Road", which featured a combination of his own original lyrics and parody lyrics written by Scott Doonican when his band celebrated their 1000th show a year earlier. During the interview, Turner described it as "the best interview I've ever done". Turner released a new single called "Haven't Been Doing So Well" on 16 September 2021. This was followed by the release of '' FTHC'', his ninth studio album, on 11 February 2022. The album went straight to number 1 in the official UK album chart, the first time Turner had reached the number 1 spot. Turner and The Sleeping Souls were due to embark on a tour entitled "The Never Ending Tour of Everywhere" starting in January 2022. However, rising COVID-19 cases in the UK following the emergence of the Omicron variant lead to the tour being cancelled in December 2021 due to health concerns for the crew and audience. On 19 August 2022, he and his friend Chris Blake, who produces music under the name Palest Boy at School, released an album as Eating Before Swimming entitled ''Playtime with Christopher and Francis Volume 1''. Turner broke the first Music Venue Trust world record in May 2024 when he played 15 gigs in 24 hours, each in a different UK town or city. A share of the proceeds from these shows was donated to the Music Venue Trust. The attempt was almost undermined by the band Crywank who did an unofficial run of 16 shows in 16 cities in 24 hours the day before, but their attempt was not recognised by any official awarding bodies. The
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
group are yet to verify Turners attempt. Turner released his tenth studio album, '' Undefeated'', on 3 May 2024. The album was recorded at Turner's home studio and was his first album to be entirely self-produced. The album was also the first to feature Sleeping Souls drummer, Callum Green, who joined the band in 2020, following
Nigel Powell Nigel Powell (born 1 October 1971) is an English multi-instrumental musician from Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon. Powell was born in Bromley, London, and educated at Abingdon School. While at school he was in a band called Illiterate Hands, whic ...
's departure. On the album's accompanying tour, Turner celebrated his 3000th show on February 22, 2025, with a performance at the 10,000 capacity
Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A listed building, Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and th ...
in London.


Lost Evenings Festival

In early 2017, it was announced that Turner was to start his own festival. Named 'Lost Evenings', the festival was announced as a 4-day festival celebrating live music and community. The first Lost Evenings took place on 12–15 May 2017 at iconic Camden music venue, the Roundhouse. Turner performed two greatest hits sets, as well as a full run-through of his debut album, ''Sleep Is for the Week''. Amongst other artists, Turner was supported by Seth Lakeman and Beans On Toast. Performances were split across two stages, the main stage and the 'Nick Alexander Stage', the latter being named after Turner's long-term friend and merchandise manager, who was killed in the Bataclan attack in 2015. Turner headlined four consecutive concerts on the main stage. The 'Nick Alexander Stage' hosted emerging acts all handpicked by Turner and Radio X DJ, John Kennedy. In addition to the evening performances, OneFest (a UK-based, non-profit, music industry development company set up to support the emergence of new talent) ran events and panels during the day. In September 2017, Turner and Lost Evenings won the Best Independent Festival Award at the AIM Independent Music Awards run by the Association of Independent Music. Turner returned to the Roundhouse for the second Lost Evenings festival which took place on 11–14 May 2018. As well as his three other sets, Turner performed his second studio album, ''Love Ire & Song'' in full. Other artists on the main stage included
The Subways The Subways is an English rock music, rock band from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Formed in 2002, the band consists of Billy Lunn (guitar, lead vocals), Charlotte Cooper (bass, lead vocals), and Camille Phillips (drums). Founding member a ...
, Emily Barker and
Arkells Arkells is a Canadian rock band, formed in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2006, they signed with Dine Alone Records, and have since signed with Universal Music Canada. They have released nine albums: '' Jackson Square'' (2008), '' Michigan Left'' (2011) ...
. Lost Evenings 3 moved away from London in 2019 and took place at the
House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...
,
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, on 16–19 May 2019. As well as greatest hits and acoustic sets, Turner performed his third studio album, ''Poetry of the Deed'' in full. Singer-Songwriter
Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...
and
The Hold Steady The Hold Steady is an American rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), Franz Nicolay (keyboards) and Steve Selvidge (g ...
also performed alongside Turner on the main stage. Lost Evenings 4 was scheduled to take place at the Arena,
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
on 21–24 May 2020. It was originally due to take place at Astra Kulturhaus, but tickets sold out quickly due to high demand, therefore the venue was changed. Artists scheduled to also play the main stage included Catfish and the Bottlemen and
KT Tunstall Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (born 23 June 1975) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on ''Later... with Jools Holland'', and h ...
. However, as a consequence of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
of 2020, the festival was cancelled. Following the cancellation of the Berlin edition due to COVID-19, the new date for Lost Evenings 4 was once more announced to be held at the Roundhouse, this time on 16–19 September 2021. Lost Evenings 5 took place between 15–18 September 2022 in the area known as the "Columbia Triangle" in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, consisting of Columbia Hall, Columbia Theater, and Silverwings. Other performers included Beans On Toast,
Grace Petrie Grace Petrie (, born 24 July 1987) is an English folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leicester, England. She was hailed in ''The Guardian'' as "a powerful new songwriting voice" in 2011. Biography Grace Petrie began performing in 2006 as ...
and
Craig Finn Craig A. Finn (born August 22, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the frontman of the American indie rock band the Hold Steady, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums. Prior to forming the Hold Steady, ...
. Lost Evenings 6 took place between 21–24 September 2023 at
House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...
,
Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...
. Other artists that played the main stage at Lost Evenings 6 included
KT Tunstall Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (born 23 June 1975) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on ''Later... with Jools Holland'', and h ...
, Pedro the Lion and Chuck Ragan. Lost Evenings 7 was held between 19–22 September at the Great Canadian Resort Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 2024's lineup included
Bedouin Soundclash Bedouin Soundclash is a Canadian band based in Toronto and consisting of vocalist and guitarist Jay Malinowski, bass player Eon Sinclair, and various session musicians. Their sound has been described as a combination of reggae and ska. Bedouin ...
and Murder by Death. Lost Evenings 7 generated $76,000 for various charities, such as local LGBTQ+ groups, homelessness and housing groups, the Nick Alexander Memorial Trust and more. Lost Evenings 8 is scheduled for 25–28 September 2025, in
Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
.


Independent Venue Love

During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
of 2020, Turner performed a weekly show from his own home on his Facebook and YouTube channels to raise money for independent grassroots music venues that were forced to temporarily close due to the pandemic. Talking about the online shows, Turner told ''NME'':
I’m very wary of telling people what to do in general, but one of the things I want to say to other artists is that this is fun. There are benefits to me in that it keeps people talking and if you can get 8,000–10,000 people tuning into you playing in your front room, then why not? You’re not losing out by doing something like this. There’s endless time at the moment and it’s so easy to do. I’m somewhat of a technophobe but I literally put my laptop on a pile of books, press one button to make this work and that’s it. None of us would have a career without these venues existing. None of us would have the music we love, so pay something back.
Turner played one of his albums in full on each of the livestreams, and save for one exception, did not repeat one song during all the online shows. The one exception was the song "Silent Key", which appears on both '' Positive Songs for Negative People'' and '' No Man's Land''. As well as the full album shows, he also played a couple of covers sets, including a set of songs that appear in
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
films and one set featuring songs by his good friends. Turner played a total of 21 'Independent Venue' shows and 2 other shows which were specifically to raise money for his band and touring crew and his publishing label, Xtra Mile Recordings. All but one show, Independent Venue Love 13, took place at Turner's home. The 13th show was streamed live from the Clapham Grand, where he was joined by
Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic th ...
and Beans On Toast. Turner raised in excess of £260,000 across the 23 shows. Speaking about the human impact of losing venues, Turner said:
Running a small venue is a business model that runs on small margins, generally from month-to-month or week-to-week and the current closures puts them in very immediate danger – threatening longterm and deeply profound damage to the scene as a whole. Underground music and culture cannot exist unless it has somewhere to exist. There are acts like me,
Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish Rock music, rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, composed of Simon Neil (lead vocals, guitar) and twin brothers James Johnston (Scottish musician), James (bass, backing vocals) and Ben Johnston (Scottish musician), Be ...
,
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
and
Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
who needed time to incubate, find their voice, develop and grow – and we couldn't have done that without these places existing. But it's not just about incubating future stars, there are tonnes of bands who only exist in small grassroots venues and only ever will. They’re still absolutely valid, and if they don't have a place to perform their art then they can't do it. They just won't exist anymore.


Personal life

Turner married actress and musician Jessica Guise on 30 August 2019. He frequently collaborates with her and her band Guise, who release music through Xtra Mile Recordings. On 17 September 2024, Guise posted to Instagram that their marriage was over following "Frank's actions on his US tour in June". Turner has cited The Weakerthans,
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
, Black Flag,
NOFX NOFX () was an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin were original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...
,
Descendents The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in Manhattan Beach, California, in 1977, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson (musician), Bill Stevenson as a power pop/surf music, surf punk band. I ...
, Counting Crows,
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
,
The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
and
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
as musical influences. Through his music, Turner has discussed several personal themes, including heartbreak, aging, the difficulties of touring, marriage, mental health difficulties, grief and substance misuse. Turner talked openly about his struggles with anxiety and cocaine addiction during the release cycle for ''FTHC''. Turner has described himself as a "classical liberal" and a "centrist". His song "Sons of Liberty" was inspired by the philosophies of
Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptised 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics"——— or ...
and
Karl Popper Sir Karl Raimund Popper (28 July 1902 – 17 September 1994) was an Austrian–British philosopher, academic and social commentator. One of the 20th century's most influential philosophers of science, Popper is known for his rejection of the ...
. Turner was formerly an
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...
in his 20s and said in an interview with the ''
New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
'' "my adolescent politics were all about anarchism and destroying things, the destruction of everything." He has a tattoo of , Sumerian
cuneiform Cuneiform is a Logogram, logo-Syllabary, syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. Cuneiform script ...
for "freedom", on his left forearm. Turner received
death threats A death threat is a threat, often made Anonymity, anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to Psychological manipulation, manipulat ...
following a news article from ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' which quoted him describing himself as a
libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
, referring to
socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
as "retarded", and believing that " leftist politics lead to the misery of many." In a subsequent ''Guardian'' interview, Turner clarified his views: "The non-Marxist British left is a fantastic tradition: it's all about non-conformism and voluntarism. The advances of the unions are great advances in human society." He condemned the "repugnant"
British National Party The British National Party (BNP) is a Far-right politics, far-right, British fascism, fascist list of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and is led by Adam ...
for being "socially rightwing/racist" and having "authoritarian leftwing" economic policies. In 2013, Turner became a patron of the assisted dying campaign group Dignity in Dying. In 2016, he was appointed a patron of
Humanists UK Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent Irreligion in the United Kingdom, non-religious people in the UK throug ...
(formerly the British Humanist Association), which campaigns on a number of ethical and
secularist Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
issues, including assisted dying. Turner is a friend of
Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic th ...
. In 2013, the pair busked together to raise money for the homelessness charity Shelter. In the past, Turner was
straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated as sXe or signified by XXX or simply X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs in reaction to the punk subculture's excesses. Some ...
for five years, and was vegetarian for 11 years.


Backing band

Turner's band, The Sleeping Souls, (named after a lyric from " I Am Disappeared") consists of: ;Current members * Ben Lloyd – guitar, harmonica, mandolin, backing vocals (2006–present) * Tarrant Anderson – bass, backing vocals (2006–present) * Matt Nasir – piano, organ, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, backing vocals (2009–present) * Callum Green – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2020–present) ;Former members *
Nigel Powell Nigel Powell (born 1 October 1971) is an English multi-instrumental musician from Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon. Powell was born in Bromley, London, and educated at Abingdon School. While at school he was in a band called Illiterate Hands, whic ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals (2006–2020) ;Touring musicians and substitutes * Cahir O'Doherty – guitar, backing vocals (2013–2014; substitute for Frank Turner; 2021, substitute for Ben Lloyd), bass (2019; substitute for Tarrant Anderson) * Dan Allen – guitar, backing vocals (2013, European Tour) * Felix Hagan – piano, backing vocals (2017, North American tour) Timeline


Discography


Solo

* ''
Sleep Is for the Week ''Sleep Is for the Week'' is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Frank Turner, released on 15 January 2007 on Xtra Mile Recordings. The album was produced by Turner's guitarist Ben Lloyd, and recorded between August and Septemb ...
'' (2007) * '' Love Ire & Song'' (2008) * '' Poetry of the Deed'' (2009) * ''
England Keep My Bones ''England Keep My Bones'' is the fourth studio album by London-based singer-songwriter Frank Turner, released on 6 June 2011, on Xtra Mile in the United Kingdom, and on 7 June 2011, on Epitaph Records worldwide. Preceded by the single, " Pegg ...
'' (2011) * '' Tape Deck Heart'' (2013) * '' Positive Songs for Negative People'' (2015) * '' Be More Kind'' (2018) * '' No Man's Land'' (2019) * '' FTHC'' (2022) * '' Undefeated'' (2024)


With Million Dead

* '' A Song to Ruin'' (2003) * '' Harmony No Harmony'' (2005)


With Mïngle Härde

* '' Mïngle Härde'' (2014)


With NOFX

* ''West Coast VS Wessex'' (2020)


With Eating Before Swimming

* ''Playtime with Christopher and Francis Volume 1'' (2022)


Videography


Music videos

* "Casanova Lament" (unaired) * "Vital Signs" (2006) * "The Real Damage" (2007) * "Photosynthesis" (2008) * "Reasons Not to Be an Idiot" (2008) * "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous" (2008) * "Long Live the Queen" (2008) * "The Road" (2009) * "Poetry of the Deed" (2009) * "Isabel" (2010) * "Try This at Home" (2010) * "I Still Believe" (2010) * "Peggy Sang the Blues" (2011) * "If Ever I Stray" (2011) * "Sailor's Boots" (2011) * "Wessex Boy" (2011) * "Four Simple Words" (2012) * "Recovery" (2013) * "The Way I Tend To Be" (2013) * "Losing Days" (2013) * "Polaroid Picture" (2013) * "Oh Brother" (2013) * "Get Better" (2015) * "The Next Storm" (2015) * "Josephine" (2015) * "Mittens" (2016) * "Love Forty Down" (2016) * "There She Is" (2017) * "Blackout" (2018) * "Make America Great Again" (2018) * "Little Changes" (2018) * "The Road" (2021) collaboration with
The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican are a British comedy folk music, folk and Parody music, parody band from Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Formed in 2006, they claim to be the hardest working comedy band in the UK, having played over 1350 show ...
* "The Girl from the Record Shop" (2024)


DVDs

* ''All About the Destination'' (22 October 2007) * ''Take to the Road'' (22 March 2010) * '' Frank Turner Live From Wembley'' (October 2012) * ''"Get Better"'' (30 June 2017)


Bibliography

* The Road Beneath My Feet () (2015) * Try This at Home: Adventures in Songwriting () (2019)


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* – official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Frank 1981 births Living people English rock guitarists English folk guitarists English male guitarists English rock singers English male singer-songwriters Folk punk musicians People educated at Eton College Alumni of the London School of Economics English atheists English humanists Kerrang! Awards winners Musicians from Hampshire 21st-century English singers 21st-century English guitarists 21st-century English male singers