Folk-punk troubadour Frank Turner will headline a concert in Cambridge ahead of the release of his ninth solo album.
Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls will play Cambridge Junction on Friday, January 21.
One of the hardest working musicians in the business, he will be releasing his new record ‘FTHC’ on February 11, 2022. FTHC stands for Frank Turner Hardcore.
Turner has also released the uncompromising Non Serviam, a two-minute blast of vitriolic hardcore, and the latest track to be taken from his upcoming album following the release of singles The Gathering and Haven’t Been Doing So Well.
Speaking about the track, Frank said: “My new record, FTHC, is a punk rock record, and when I say that I'm not kidding.
"This is the first song from the album, a song about staying true to your artistic ideals, standing firm for the things you believe in.”
‘FTHC’ is set for release on February 11 via Xtra Mile Recordings / Polydor.
His first since 2019’s No Man’s Land, it marks a new chapter in a career that has already spawned four top five albums and more than 2,500 shows worldwide, stretching from grassroots venues to Wembley Arena and the O2, and also the main stages of festivals, including Folk by the Oak and Slam Dunk in Hatfield.
"So this record, I think it's going to surprise some people," says Frank of the new album.
"There's just a kind of like attitude and a dirtiness and a noise to it.
"I think that after doing a record that explored more electronic music and then sort of like a history folk record I think it's going to really kind of like re-state my purpose as an artist and blow some cobwebs away."
‘FTHC’ was recorded at ARC Abbey Recording Studios just outside of Oxford and produced/mixed by Rich Costey (Foo Fighters, Muse, Biffy Clyro).
The album darts between punk, folk, hard rock and singer-songwriter confessionals, starting with the recent single The Gathering featuring Jason Isbell and Muse’s Dom Howard.
Fatherless is particularly revealing as Turner reflects on childhood trauma.
A Wave Across A Bay is a tribute to his friend, the late Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit.
The album ends with a rumination on leaving the capital after 7,300 days for a new life on the coast with the bittersweet mini autobiography Farewell To My City.
"There's a lot of material on this record were I really decided to just take the gloves off in terms of talking about personal issues," says the singer-songwriter.
"And to not allow myself to censor myself to just say like the most direct and raw thing that I can.
"You know there are some statements and songs that make me wince a little bit and in a way that I feel is quite real.
"I wanted this to be not just a sonically aggressive record but a record that was kind of built to play live.
"There's a big kind of intention behind this music that it is at least in part written so that you can get sweaty with your mates."
Turner’s extensive support of the live music scene during the pandemic saw him play countless livestream benefit shows to raise money and awareness of the importance of small venues all across the country.
After raising nearly £300,000, he was recently awarded the Music Venue Trust’s award for Outstanding Achievement for Grassroots Music Venues.
Making up for lost time, the Cambridge Junction date will form part of Frank Turner's sprawling The Never Ending Tour of Everywhere, which, as the names suggests, visits venues across the country over the first two months of 2022.
Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls' The Never Ending Tour of Everywhere 2022 UK dates.
January 2022
- 18th - Ipswich, Corn Exchange
- 19th - Norwich, UEA
- 21st - Cambridge, Junction
- 22nd - Boston, Gliderdrome
- 23rd - Hull, City Hall
- 25th - Newcastle, City Hall
- 26th - Edinburgh, The Liquid Room
- 28th - Aberdeen, Lemon Tree
- 30th - Glasgow, SWG3
February 2022
- 1st - Leeds, University
- 2nd – Buckley Tivoli
- 4th - Liverpool, O2 Academy
- 5th - Sheffield, O2 Academy
- 6th - Manchester, Academy
- 8th - Cardiff, Tramshed
- 9th - Coventry, HMV Empire
- 11th - Nottingham, Rock City
- 12th - Leicester, O2 Academy
- 13th - Birmingham, O2 Institute
- 14th - Swansea, Sin City
- 16th - Bristol, O2 Academy
- 18th - Bath, The Forum
- 19th - Southampton, O2 Guildhall
- 20th - Brighton, Dome
- 22nd - Exeter, University
- 23rd - Reading, The Hexagon
- 25th - Oxford, O2 Academy
- 26th - Folkestone, Leas Cliff Hall
- 27th - London, O2 Academy Brixton.
Pet Needs and Truckstop Honeymoon are supports at all shows. The Brixton date also features Snuff as special guests.
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