Frank Turner's record-breaking tour
Words: Simon Paterson
Images: Tallbird Records & Gasoline Bar
Across the UK, grassroots music venues are closing down at an alarming rate. To shed light on this issue and support the Music Venue Trust, world-renowned singer-songwriter Frank Turner embarked on a world record attempt, collaborating with two fantastic independent businesses along the way.
From headlining Wembley Stadium to delivering an unforgettable performance at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony orchestrated by Danny Boyle, and achieving several top five albums, Frank Turner's resume is undeniably remarkable.
So... when Maria at Tallbird Records was approached about him playing a gig in Chesterfield as part of a world record attempt, she seized the opportunity to be a part of something significant and immediately secured the perfect venue.
“I was contacted by the company that distributes Frank's albums in February asking if we'd like to be included as one of the shops in Frank's record-breaking attempt at playing gigs in 15 separate towns and cities across the UK. Naturally, I jumped at the chance of bringing such a great musician and songwriter to Chesterfield, the only problem being, that the shop was too small to accommodate the number of people who would want to come along.
As the Gasoline Bar is just up the road and experienced at putting on live music, it seemed like the perfect venue to host the event, so it turned out to be! Tickets went on sale via our website selling out in under three hours! It was a real pleasure and proud moment playing my part in Frank's record-breaking endeavour and putting Chesterfield on his tour itinerary.
Frank played a great set (albeit a short one - he still had around a dozen shows ahead of him at this point and had to rush off in his taxi) and even did my favourite track off the new album 'I'm In Love With The Girl From The Record Shop' - well, a girl can dream, smiles Maria.
Frank went on to beat the previous record of ten gigs in ten different cities/towns, finishing in Southampton with a grand total of 15 in 24 hours!
I was lucky enough to attend the Chesterfield gig at Gasoline and witness Frank belt out classics such as ‘If ever I stray’ and ‘Undefeated’ from his latest album that is (at the time of writing) number three in the charts. An unforgettable evening at a packed local music venue.
Please continue to support our local, live music venues so they are here for generations to come. See you at the next gig!
Frank Turner's new album 'Undefeated' is available in various formats at Tallbird Records.
IG: tallbirdrecords
FB: gasolineamericanbar
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