For British guy, it doesn’t get bigger than Wembley
In seven years Frank Turner has accomplished a lot. The British singer/ songwriter has released four full-length albums. He is headlining another United States tour. Oh, and he’s performed to a sold-out Wembley Stadium in London in the last year.
“It’s amazing to see how far I’ve come from playing the small clubs in England,” he says during a recent interview from Chicago. “I feel lucky that I’m able to do this for a living and am happy that people respond to my music.”
Turner began a solo career in 2005 after his band, Million Dead, broke up. Since then, he’s worked hard at making a name for himself.
The songwriter is gearing up to release his latest effort, “Last Minutes and Lost Evenings,” on Oct. 2. While the album is new, Turner is quick to point out that it is sort of a “CliffsNotes” version of his music.
“My first two albums weren’t released properly in the U.S., so many people don’t know the material on them,” he explains. “This is giving them a chance to see where I’ve come from and what the music was all about from the beginning. There are also other songs that are rare cuts that didn’t make the album.”
While the songs aren’t new, Turner says it didn’t make the process go any smoother. He went into the studio to record many of the songs again.
“I wanted everything to be as clean as possible,” he says. “I had a lot of ideas for some of the songs and am happy with the way they came out. But getting the list down to the songs that I wanted wasn’t an easy task. I took my time and searched for the songs that fit together cohesively as a unit.”
Within the packaging of the new album will be Turner’s sold-out show at Wembley Stadium in 2011. He says he wanted to give fans a chance to keep a special concert.
“Growing up in England, every musician wants to play Wembley,” he says. “Not only was I given the opportunity to perform there, but it was sold out. That meant the world to me because it was my fans coming out to support me. It was probably one of the best moments for me as an artist.”
On his current tour, Turner says, he’s going to perform a longer set and get in as many songs as he can.
“The last time I toured, it was an opening spot with Social Distortion and the set was really short,” he explains. “This time, I’m the last one to perform and I’m going to give the fans as many songs as they’ll let me play. It’s a time to showcase all of the music I’ve put out. A chance for them to connect with all of my music.”