Frank Turner comes back to Norwich on the 7th December, supporting the Levellers at the UEA. I managed to ask Frank a few questions about touring, writing, recent successes and the future.

I last saw you supporting the Holloways here in Norwich, how was that tour?
It was great, those guys are old friends of mine, and given that both they and I tour a lot, we don’t often see that much of each other. So it was a lot of fun to catch up with old friends, and the shows were chaotic as ever. Good times.

Seems you’ve been rather busy travelling all over the place, any stand out places or gigs?
I do get around a bit, haha. Uhm, the recent Scala show in London was a big deal for me because it was the biggest headline show I’ve ever played, so it was a really amazing feeling to come on stage for 950 people. Reading and Leeds were amazing. The Revival Tour on the East Coast was also really great, and it was an honour to tour with Chuck Ragan and Tim Barry.

How does it feel support The Levellers, are you a big fan?
As I write this I am actually backstage at a Levellers show in Amsterdam. They’re fantastic, I’ve been a fan for many many years, and they’re a very nice bunch of chaps too. Couldn’t complain really, and my sister is really jealous.

Have you been writing much on tour, or do you like to keep the two separate?
I can’t really, otherwise I’d never get anything written. I spend the vast majority of my time on the road, so I have to be disciplined to some extent to write while I’m on the move. There’s a lot of new stuff coming together in my head right now, in theory the new album should be killer.

Your new collection “The First Three Years” sounds like a brilliant value set for fans, how does it feel being three years deep into your solo career?
It simultaneously feels like a really long time and no time at all. I’ve certainly put out a lot of material, all told, and played a lot of shows, but then in the grand scheme of things, three years isn’t so long. It’s been really rewarding to put the compilation together though,  it reminded me of a lot of old songs I’d kinda forgotten about.

What have you got in store for us in your fourth year?
A lot more touring, particularly in Europe and the states, and a new album in September, hopefully.

How did it feel when Sara Cox made “Long Live The Queen” her record of the week?
Very surreal. It wasn’t something we (me and the label) were particularly aiming for, but obviously we were very chuffed, and it’s helped things along enormously. I wasn’t in the UK at the time when the news came through, so it seemed doubly odd.

Are you looking forward to more exposure like this, or would you like to keep of the mainstream radar a little longer?
I think people who try and shepherd their careers on that level are bogus in the extreme. What I’m going to do is not think too hard about it get my head down, work hard and do the best shows and songwriting I can. People who disavow “mainstream” usually have way too high an opinion of themselves. What am I going to do, filter my audiences in case I get too popular? It’s silly.

I think I’ll keep it short and not force you to have to keep typing away, so any last words or people you want thank or mention?
There’s many people to thank in my team, but then I’m generally in the habit of thanking them day in day out so they generally know it. I’m really lucky to do the job that I do, and I’m grateful that I’ve had the success I’ve had so far. Let’s see where we go.

Also when you coming back to Norwich?
In the new year actually.

Listen to Frank Turner on iTunes.

Update: Click here for photos from his Levellers support slot at the UEA

Tweet