There are few more dependable musicians working in Britain right now than Frank Turner.
And not just because he’s prodigiously hard-working – last year’s FTHC (it stands for Frank Turner Hardcore) was his ninth album in 15 years – but because he turns up for all the right causes.
Political and personal
His support for independent venues and for charities like the Music Venue Trust is well-known, and his thoughtful and expressive lyrics often dive deep into political and personal issues.
It’s all a far cry from the musician who sang, tongue-in-cheek, “stop asking musicians what they think” on his song 1933, or the young man who went to Eton on a scholarship and was a classmate of Prince William.
Musical roots
Turner has spoken about how unhappy he found those schooldays, and how he found solace in punk music, first through his old band Million Dead, and now via his own career.
As the name suggests, FTHC is a return to those musical roots.
Following the cleaner pop-rock of 2018’s Be More Kind and 2019’s folky tribute to history’s great women No Man’s Land, FTHC covers his own mental state (Haven’t Been Doing So Well), his departure from London (Farewell to My City) and an extraordinary pair of songs about his childhood anger at his father and the elder Turner’s transition (Fatherless and Miranda).
Yet again, it’s vivid proof of why Turner inspires and deserves his fans’ ongoing loyalty.
Frank Turner plays Fat Sam’s, Dundee, on Friday January 27. www.frank-turner.com
