Getting back into the saddle of a recently much neglected aspect to my promoting, and that’s the blog post that comes with the announcement.
So, as you’ll know local social media blew up today and I gave up trying to keep up with the tags and pings. In a very small way, I know how popular social media accounts feel!
At any rate, we are absolutely proud and delighted to announce that long time friend, and past regular, Frank Turner will be returning to Swindon in January.
This show has been on the cards for quite some time. I bumped into James 2000 Trees last night at the ASIWYFA / Gallops show in Bristol, and he asked me how I pulled it off.
After months of wrangling, Frank changing agents and getting a possible time frame, I finally managed to nail down January 2018.
The really special aspect of this gig is that I actually met Frank back in 2003 at the then named Furnace, as Million Dead supported Pitchshifter. I distinctly remember seeing an advert in Rock Sound describing a band that sounded like “the best in US hardcore, put through a UK filter” or words to that effect, and prompted me to buy the single “Smiling At Strangers On Trains”. When MD played that one and only song I knew, I screamed the lyrics back in Franks face as he hung off the railings, and well, that was that. I was smitten.
Frank later fell off the balcony, split his lip open, that he bares the scare of to this day. I met him after the show, we exchanged emails for MP3s, and I proceeded to follow MD on tour every time they went on, that came to the Southwest.
Frank has actually performed at Level III / The Furnace twice before, solo both times. Once supporting Sean Buswell’s album launch iirc, and then once with The Youngplay Things, a band singed to Small Town America at the time.
After a chance meeting with Frank, exiting Liverpool Street station in 2006 on route to the Small Town American charity-all-dayer, I asked him for directions and he took me to 93 Feet East as he was actually performing his first solo show that day. This blew my mind, as by this point I had done a few gigs and desperately wanted him to come play for me!
The rest is history, Frank played his first Wiltshire show in Trowbridge at Terrys, I was mighty jealous as all my previous efforts had gone unrewarded, but finally we managed a show together. That gig was immortalised in poster, as it was also the gig I introduced Frank to a young Ben Marwood. A musician I absolutely loved and felt deserved the break. We ended up doing a dozen shows together, including a pre-Sleeping Souls (minus Matt Nasir) as a warm up to his first Reading festival appearance at the 12 bar in Swindon. (there is a picture somewhere of a 6 year old Dylan sat on my shoulders at Franks set. This was also the first time I was a “guest” at a major festival)
I could bore you with more insights and stuff, but it isn’t that interesting (I fucked a venue up in Devizes with a Frank show, as it almost happened in the art gallery above The TSB bank, before I eventually did it at The Lamb – which I also have a recording of, but the sound quality is much worse. I once got the most wasted I’ve ever been at an after party in Bath Forum, where I actually met a chap in Pitchshifter and sang all his lyrics to him. We once stayed up all night after a show, allowing the entire audience into my mums house without her knowing, and drank until the sun rose. Frank was so wasted he had to cancel a show the following day at a small village, and I felt immensely guilty! Frank was once involved in a car crash in Devizes after being picked up by a friend, who crashed into another car 100 yards from the house… he still made his next gig etc)
Basically I feel crazy lucky to have had the experiences with Frank that I have, and ultimately with the entire music promotions that I’ve done over the years. I feel incredibly lucky to have so many of you lot as friends and regulars at my shows.
This is just the start of 2018 announcements. We have some crazy big shows to continue to tie up and announce in the coming weeks, so please do the usual likes and follows across social media. We’re on them all.
Tickets for Frank go on sale Friday, at 10am, priced £25 and available through WeGotTickets HERE. There also 50 tickets in Sound Knowledge in Marlborough, also on sale Friday. Good luck to you all, and I hope to see as many regulars and friends as possible!
>Join the event page of Facebook and join in the discussion<<
Doors 7pm
7.30 – 8 – Mike Barham
8.10 – 8.55 – Sean McGowan
9.15 – 10.45 – FRANK TURNER
10.45 – 3am – DJ