Adam KeysFrank Turner is an artist defined by his work rate and forward thinking, as much as his immense talent. The last ten years have seen a continuous rise for Frank, and next month sees him host his very own four day festival in Camden Roundhouse – Lost Evenings.
RUSHONROCK co-editor Adam Keys caught up with the man himself to discuss all things Lost Evenings.
RUSHONROCK – Thanks for joining us at RUSHONROCK, Frank. Just one month to go until Lost Evenings – how are you feeling about the festival
Frank Turner – Great thanks. It’s been a massive amount of work getting it together, a lot of people have worked very hard on it, but it’s really coming together now, and we’re sold out, so I’m pretty pleased about it all.
RUSHONROCK – Could you tell us a bit about the thinking behind Lost Evenings?
FT – I’ve been toying with the idea of doing my own festival for a long while, but it’s very risky to put an outdoor one together; I also realised that if I went down that route I’d probably just be duplicating what The Levellers do with Beautiful Days, which seemed like a waste of time to me. I started thinking about other approaches, not least the whole Meltdown thing, and an idea came together.
RUSHONROCK – The line-up has now been announced, and it’s pretty awesome. How hard was it to hand pick the acts to play at your very own festival?
FT – It was quite difficult when it came to the top half of the bill. People were unsure as to what exactly I was planning, and how it would work. As for the rest, that was easy, at least inasmuch as a lot of people wanted the slots! I managed to get a lot of bands I’m into onto the line-up.
RUSHONROCK – Brian Fallon was originally announced for the Friday night. What was the reason behind this change?
FT – You’d have to ask him.
RUSHONROCK – There’s quite a few of your Xtra Mile label mates on the bill. Is this a testament to the bond between label mates?
FT – Yes. I’m not actually part of the running of the label (contrary to popular opinion) but I’m super close with everyone there, they’re like family to me. I am supportive of them as they are of me, and I often suggest bands they might like, and in turn am pleasantly surprised by some of the stuff they send my way. It’s a happily symbiotic relationship.
RUSHONROCK – Lost Evenings features a number of workshops throughout the festival. Can you tell us what punters can expect from these?
FT – Well, each one has a different focus of course. Overall though I wanted to bring a community feel to the event. I want it to be more than just me playing a bunch of shows in Camden.
RUSHONROCK – The Frank Turner brand has been on a constant rise over the last decade, much of which can be attributed to your incredible work ethic. Lost Evenings is completely sold out, how do you see it further enhancing your profile?
FT – I’m not sure if I spend much time thinking about “enhancing my profile” per se. Of course there’s a degree to which I’m pretty happy to have my own sold out four-night at the Roundhouse. But it’s more a case of me trying to think of new things to do, to keep my audience and myself interested.
RUSHONROCK – You also released Get Better this year, which has recently been screened for the first time in a number of cities in the States, and will be shown at Lost Evenings. Have you got any plans to release this on DVD? What was the reason behind one off showings in individual cinemas?
FT – Well, Studio Canal are invested in the film and they suggested the cinema runs. The DVD will hopefully be out imminently.
RUSHONROCK – You’ve got a strong bond with US audiences; this year has seen you play some of your biggest shows out there. Do you see yourself taking Lost Evenings out there?
FT – Yes, that’s under discussion. It is something I want to do every year, but it’s also a usefully portable idea. There’s nothing concrete I can talk about just yet with that, but I’d certainly like Lost Evenings to be an ongoing concern.
RUSHONROCK – Since 2009, we’ve been treated to a new album every two years. Positive Songs For Negative People came out two years ago. Will 2017 see you continue that sequence and release album number seven?
FT – I’d imagine it would be more like the start of next year, but I am working hard on a new record right now, and recording in the summer.
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