Let's Be Frank

"I'll be honest: it's early in the morning and I have a hangover.” It's a typically punk-rock admission from singer-songwriter Frank Turner, who made his name with the short-lived post-hardcore outfit Million Dead in the early-2000s. Typical, but perhaps deceiving; this is the same man who last year not only played a sold-out show at Wembley Arena but the Olympic opening ceremony, as well as releasing a CD/DVD, Last Minutes And Lost Evenings, and working on his upcoming fifth studio full-length, Tape Deck Heart, with prolific and famed US producer Rich Costey.

“Yeah, 2012 was a crazy year,” Turner says. “I mean, some of it was expected and some of it wasn't, and it's all a bit weird, in a good way. But I didn't put out an album in 2012 – it was kind of consolidation and expansion – but I'm really excited about having some new songs.

“I had the opportunity to work with Rich Costey, who is a genius, and an amazing guy, and a wonderful person to work with. I wish I could make more records with him. It was a really rewarding experience; I feel like he kind of made me push myself to drag more out of myself than I had on some of my previous records.”

The result of all this work is certainly an enticing proposition for those planning to see Turner when he hits our shores for Bluesfest and a string of sideshow dates with Dropkick Murphys and Swingin' Utters, but perhaps even more enticing is the guaranteed presence of Turner's backing band, The Sleeping Souls. But, wait – backing band? After Million Dead, well, died, didn't Turner say he was done with the hassles endemic to group musicianship?

“It's not quite a change of heart – having a backing band is slightly different to being in a band, per se,” he clarifies. “In a lot of ways I'm having my cake and eating it right now because I've got all the advantages of being in a band but at the same time I retain the sense of control that comes from being a solo artist… I always wanted to have a backing band, and it's kind of important to me that they're a set band, not just a bunch of session players that I met in the car park before the session, or whatever.

“We arrange together collectively. It's not quite a democracy – I have power of veto – but it's certainly a consultative dictatorship. The actual composition part remains jealously guarded as my own. I write the songs on my own, although, of course, subconsciously I'm writing to tie in with the guys that I play with.”

Having already tackled the US and China this year, Turner and his band have a fresh challenge ahead: keeping up with not one but two seminal punk outfits on the road (except in Queensland, where he headlines his own Sunshine Coast gig). Turner, however, remains down-to-earth about the impending trip; more down-to-earth than most. “I've toured with the Dropkicks a few times before, and I'm pleased and privileged to say that they are friends, and they seem to consider me an equal, so that's good,” he says. “It's my first time [touring with Swingin' Utters], but I'm very excited.”

Frank Turner will be playing the following dates:

Thursday 28 March - Bluesfest, Byron Bay NSW
Sunday 31 March - Panthers, Newcastle NSW
Monday 1 April - Big Top Luna Park, Sydney NSW
Tuesday 2 April - Festival Hall, Melbourne VIC