Frank Turner Opens Up On New Music, Endless Touring, And the Records That Shaped Him

Australia, get set to be bowled over in 2026, with beloved UK folk punk act FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS joining forces with Texan pop punk mainstays BOWLING FOR SOUP for a monumental co-headline Australian tour next May.

Helmed by the prolific titular FRANK TURNER himself, FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS have been weaving magic together since the mid-2000s. Surrounding TURNER’s pivot to solo artist terrain after his earlier career fronting post-hardcore act Million Dead, FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS have gone on to record and perform for decades, with TURNER now also in command of ten solo studio albums, 3000+ live shows, a #1 album courtesy of 2022’s FTHC, millions of global album sales, and live stints around the world spanning all continents, a “50 States in 50 days tour” across North America, performing at practically every UK venue imaginable, and even an appearance as part of the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.

Most recently releasing his tenth studio album, 2024’s Undefeated, TURNER once again showcased his dexterous range, emotional depth and his trademark knack for blending punk, folk and rock that is inescapably infectious and heartfelt. An artist who has sold out massive venues within hours, hosts an annual award-winning four-day international festival, Lost Evenings, and tirelessly advocates for grassroots music venues and businesses amongst many other pursuits. Frank talks to Hi Fi Way about the upcoming tour.

Another Australian tour, how many does that make now, do you reckon?
Uh, well, I mean, probably more than ten, but I mean, I could sit down and figure it out, but I haven’t, and therefore I haven’t done my research, so you show me up!

So what is it about Australia that keeps you coming back? It almost seems like it’s a once‑a‑year thing.
There was a period of time when it was a once‑a‑year thing. I did Australia in April every year for I think about six years almost and it was great. Obviously on some level, if people want me to come, then I will come and the ticket sales would suggest that they do. I would say lots and lots of international touring bands who aren’t from Australia agree that Australia is just an incredible place to tour. It’s always a good vibe. It’s always a good audience. It’s usually better weather than where we’re from, although it possibly won’t be in May, I guess. But yeah, it is always a good time. There is a part of me that sits there on the other side of the world in this beautiful, lovely, amazing country and thinks to myself, I’m only here because I play the guitar and that is fundamentally ridiculous but in a good way.

Are you’re bringing a full band this time as well?
Yes, indeed. In fact, arguably bringing two of them because we’re coming with Bowling for Soup.

Frank Turner and Bowling for Soup, on paper it looks like an unlikely combination, but it seems to work?
Yeah, it does. I mean, we’ve been being asked about this and thinking about this a fair bit lately. The first thing to say is we’ve been friends for a long time and mutual admirers, and during the lockdowns Jaret and I did a kind of weekly chat thing in that very strange period of time, and I think people realised from that that we were friends.

I think that as bands we have more in common than people perhaps might first think. We’re both are survivors, we’ve both been around for a long time, perhaps even unlikely survivors. I think the major thing we have in common with both our music and our fan base and how we’re broadly regarded is that neither of us are or have ever been cool. We’re not flavour of the month. We don’t get invited to parties with models and movie stars. We don’t get put on the front cover of fashionable music magazines, and I don’t think we ever did and I don’t think we ever will.

I think we’re both quite proud of that because that’s just not who we are. I think that means the people who like our music tend to like it because they like the music. There’s a kind of purity to that and ultimately we’re both song writing bands. The song writing comes before pretty much anything else. So we have some common ground. When the tour got announced, there were a good number of people who are into both bands, but it’s been really pleasant seeing people from either side checking out the other as we go along.

Yeah, I guess that’s the ultimate aim, to have Bowling for Soup fans discover something new about you and vice versa, and go away and delve deeper into both back catalogues?
Everyone makes new friends.

That’s going to make for an interesting show dynamic. Do you have a coin flip to work out who goes on first?
I think that I’m right in saying that the agents have had some sort of Titanic arm‑wrestling match and figured it all out. It doesn’t matter that much to me who plays first. In fairness, to some degree playing first is great because it means you’re done by about 9pm and you can pull up a deck chair on the side of the stage and watch your friends play.

I will say I think Bowling for Soup are a phenomenal live band and I like that. I like to think that me and my boys are quite a good live band, I don’t want to blow too much smoke up my own ass, but I think we’re pretty good at what we do. Touring with a band who are excellent at playing live, some people seem to see that as a challenge or a threat. I don’t. I see it as something that energises me and makes me excited to play. It’s like, oh cool, we’ve got a challenge here. We’ve got to up our game and that’s good for the audience as well, hopefully. But yeah, we’re very much looking forward to trying to hold our ground next to them.

I think what it’s screaming out for is collaboration. Has that been something you’ve spoken about, doing a song in each other’s set or something like that?
Yeah, a little bit. There’s been a bit of chat about that. There’s been chat about actually writing and recording something together at some point as well. In fairness, that’s been a chat for quite a long time now. But then again, so was the touring together thing. So, you know, things do happen, they just take a while.

I’m used to seeing you play the rowdy shows at The Gov a few times. Playing a co‑headline set, do you do anything different approaching the set list? Is it all the greatest hits of Frank Turner?
It’s a little different. There is a big part of me that’s just like: do your show. Just do whatever you would normally do, because even for a support slot or co‑headline or festival or whatever, I don’t want to mis‑sell what I do. I don’t want to try and fool people into thinking I’m something I’m not. I do think that if it’s just a pure headline show, you have a bit more leeway to get into the weeds with your set list a bit and play some slightly more obscurantist stuff to keep the diehards happy.

I want to do a little bit of that at a co‑head show as well, because in theory half of them have come to see me. But you’re also trying to win over new people at the same time. So yeah, we want to put on the best show we can. I guess it’s going to be in the direction of greatest hits, but a gentleman never reveals his set list in advance, so we shall see.

Absolutely, are you working away on a new album in the background?
A little, not in huge depth just yet. I would say that my last record was my tenth album, which is many albums. I’m very pleased with Undefeated as a record. I think it’s one of the best, if not the best record that I’ve made in my estimation and that means that I’m taking my time. I’ve been playing around with different stuff, but I don’t think that I’m in a hurry to make a new record right now. I will get there when the time is right, but I’ve never wanted to be somebody who just makes records for the sake of making records because it’s what I do. I want to make a record because I have something to say and a way of saying it that I think is interesting. I’m imagining towards it, but I’ve been so busy the last, well, arguably twenty years, I’m sort of enjoying the idea that possibly I don’t need to be insanely hectic all the time forever.

Does that make it tricky, particularly with the way music’s consumed that you’ve always got to be drip‑feeding singles and keeping new content out there, rather than, like you said, giving one of your best albums time and space to breathe?
Yeah, totally. The social‑media‑fication of the music industry has been one of the more depressing things I’ve witnessed in my lifetime. I feel quite privileged, or lucky or relieved, to have made my bones before it completely took over because I know people who are newer acts coming through now, and you’ve basically just got to act like an influencer to make any headway. I just think that’s utterly depressing because that’s not why any of us signed up for this.

I spend a chunk of my days managing social media posts and all that kind of thing. And again, I didn’t sit in my bedroom as a kid practicing Nirvana songs on guitar because I dreamed of being somebody who managed a social media schedule. It doesn’t quite line up for me. So I think I have the fortune of having made my bones earlier, as I said, but also having done this for quite a long time, I think I can step away a little bit if I need to without the roof caving in. But for younger, newer bands, it’s really brutal right now because of social media.

I just find it almost comical, a lot of bands seem like they’re selling their soul on TikTok.
Right. And do you think Leonard Cohen would’ve been good at TikTok? I mean, Jesus Christ. They are separate skill sets. Hats off to the people who are good at social media, but it’s not the same thing as being a musician.

Beyond the Australian tour, what’s next for you? Is it pretty much keeping touring for the rest of this year?
I’ve got a busy year through till Halloween, I think, in fact, that’s my last show this year and then we have more plans for next year that we’ll be announcing quite soon. But yeah, the road rolls ever onwards.

Wrapping things up — what are the three go‑to albums that you can’t live without?
Oh, only three?

You can go more if you like!
I would say August and Everything After by Counting Crows is a record that I will never stop listening to. I was in Australia with Counting Crows a few years ago, and that was a dream for me. I would say Everything Sucks by Descendents, I’ve just been on tour with Descendents actually, but even prior to that this was true. Everything Sucks I think is the best punk record ever made, and I just can’t live without it, shall we say. And then one more… that’s a toughie. Possibly One Night Stand! Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club. That record is just totally, totally invincible. It’s one of the single best records ever made. I listen to it all the time.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch Frank Turner on tour with Bowling For Soup on the following dates, ticket from Destroy All Lines…