Campire Punk Rocker

Sitting in the dimly lit corner of a bar in Bournemouth, Frank Turner cuts a lonely figure, with the standard bourbon and coke in hand. Behind the tall, bearded figure of a man is a character of great honesty, wit and humility, at just 27 his career in music has been a long and turbulent one.

Born in Bahrain, Turner remembers none of the land where he was born “We moved back to England when I was about a year old. My dad had business interest out there but wanted us to grow up in Britain.” His childhood he remembers as a relatively normal and pleasant one, growing up just outside of Winchester with his two sisters. Music played a huge part in Turner’s upbringing “First band I ever really got into was Iron Maiden, after seeing a poster of theirs when I was about 10 and just loving the artwork.”
It wasn’t until being granted a scholarship at Eton that life really began to change for young Frank Turner. “Being affronted by some of the opinions and seeing the bigotry in kids there, I think that is really what turned me into an anarchist.” It was at Eton he met Ben Dawson, one of his best friends to this day, and their joint passion for punk and hardcore music would emerge.
Frank excelled at academia and he turned down a place at Cambridge to study History at London School of Economics. It was moving into London however that really spurred his interest in the underground punk scene exploding across the capital at the time and when Ben formed three piece punk band Million Dead he seemed an obvious candidate for vocals. “I remember in the second year of university it getting a lot harder and getting calls whilst on the road with the band going where are you, why haven’t we seen you in lectures for three months.” He recalls, “That was a hard time managing between the band and the education.”
Million Dead would only last a four year stretch, they like the hardcore band that they took their name from would become victim to their own success and internal unrest. Their two critically acclaimed records would secure them a large cult following and they counted both John Peel and Steve Lamacq as fans. When second LP ‘Harmony No Harmony’ emerged in April 2005 all within the group was not well, as Frank so gently puts it looking back on it all - ‘a fucking nightmare’. By the time the band played their career defining performance at Reading Festival in August that year they knew it would be one of their last. The band granted fans one swansong tour in the Autumn before disbanding for good. “The Reading show that summer was so intense, I remember me and Ben after coming off stage just looking at each other silently, thinking why the fuck are we calling it quits now. It felt like there was at least one more album in the band but by that point we were all such an intensively dysfunctional group of people we knew it had to come to an end.”
The last year of Million Dead saw time to time Frank picking up the acoustic guitar to form his own tune, however he is quick to point out he never wanted Million Dead to split to pursue solo endeavours. “I loved my time in the band and despite some people’s misconceptions our split was nothing to do with a desire to go solo.” Turner solo music looked back to influences of the past like Counting Crows and The Levellers, as he began to realise new writing genius in folk heroes of the past like Dylan and Springsteen. “I remember discovering the Cash ‘American Recordings’ series in later years of Million Dead and just being blown away by the intensity, I never knew country and folk music could be so powerful.”


Turner reveals while in those first years after Million Dead split just taking any gig, “If there was people who wanted to book me I just thought lets go for it.” Turner, who always seem to be on the road in some territory admits the early days were really hit and miss, “Playing a good show to a crowd is the best thing in the world. But touring round the country on my own, sleeping on strangers floor could be really hard. I felt really on my own sometimes without a band specially after a bad show in a room full of strangers.”
Debut EP ‘Campfire Punkrock’ was a five track statement of intent on Turner’s part and garnered great reviews, not least from some hardcore Million Dead fans. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised how fans of the band took to the solo stuff.” It captured Turner’s spirit of political punk from his youth which found a new mix with traditional folk ballads of yesteryear. It became the basis for 2007 full length ‘Sleep is for the week’ which became an even bigger hit for the singer, earning him support slots with Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, The Automatic and Biffy Clyro.
By the time second album ‘Love, Ire and Song’ hit stores late March this year Frank Turner had cemented his place as a punk folk hero for the 21st century. “I think the new record is some of the best stuff I’ve done musically” He adds, “I’ve learnt so much over the last two years from touring the last record that this one sounds so better executed.” Fortunes have again come back around for Turner who returns to Reading Festival and the Lock Up stage again this year, this time under his own name. “I feel so much more proud of my solo stuff, it feels like everything I’ve achieved over the last two years I’ve done in my own right.” Turner who still lives in Winchester with his parents will play Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk festival this year. He wants to still be producing honest heartfelt songs in five years time. “I’ll be happy so long as I’m still making music that is artistically valid. I’m sure I’ll still be touring every day of the year for the next decade. ”

To download free or not to be?

For Radiohead fans ‘In Rainbows’ was an important chapter in the bands history, for those with an interest in the future of music it was probably the most important record of the last decade. Radiohead became the first multi-million selling band to let their audience decide the price it legitimately would pay for a piece of the artist’s music. If the music itself was not forward thinking enough, the concept definitely was and had economists and industry-types all in a stir. But since the ‘experiment’ Radiohead’s management have remained quiet on the outcome, choosing not to disclose download figures or profits, especially after signing a multi-million pound deal to get the record a physical release on Xl Recordings a few months later. While Radiohead may be seen as the pioneers behind the experiment, they certainly weren’t the only artist to trial the potential for delivering free content last year.


Lesser-known artist Saul Williams took a very similar idea in 2008 for his release ‘The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!’ and shocked the world with the outcome...
American poet and rapper Saul Williams had already much success with two critically acclaimed albums featuring the likes of Zack De La Rocha, The Mars Volta and Serj Tankien. Even then fans found it rather strange when they found out the rapper would be collaborating with industrial metal legend, Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor for his latest effort, and even stranger when they found out they the fans would be deciding the price they paid for the album. The digital download of ‘...Niggy Tardust!” was either free or $5, the buyer had the choice.
The man behind the production and funding of the release, Trent Reznor has been open as of his disappointment with the results. After two months 154,449 people had downloaded NiggyTardust and 28,322 of them paid the $5. Clearly for an artist this was not a profitable scenario and Trent said, “If I could redo everything and start again, I think having a physical product is a good thing.”
However he is the first to admit that the idea wasn’t a total failure, for one a relatively unknown artist like Saul Williams received far more downloads of his new album than if he were to have charged, due mainly to the publicity of the concept and the nature of the free giveaway. It does however pose the question, what do people want to pay for music? In America $5 is about the price of a Big Mac and for us with current rates it’s not much less. The ever increasing levels of illegal downloading show no sign of slowing, yet the move to digital formats and the legitimate internet store has presented encouraging results. The BBC reporting recently that iTunes currently score 500,000 downloads a week.
The negative impact of illegal downloading cannot however be underestimated, music industry body, the IFPI, revealed at the start of this year that more than 40 billion songs were illegally downloaded in 2008. This equates to 95% of all downloads last year, add this to the fact sales for physical formats fell again to their lowest ever in 2008 it’s not surprising record labels are currently cutting back staff and spending budgets. Maybe it’s time then that the industry embraces these experiments and more bands start to think about ‘doing a radiohead’; especially when those few who have already followed suit like Bloc Party and Mcfly have had relatively positive returns.
For Radiohead the results of the experiment were relatively insignificant, it gave them a fresh headline, new record deal, handful of Grammys and sell out tour in 2008. Saul Williams will carry on touring the new record, through which he will make most his money, heading to Europe and the UK this summer. The losers ultimately of the trend for paying less for music will be you and me, the music fans, as new bands sell less, record labels take less risks in signing new and unproven talent, new bands will therefore get less attention and in turn we hear less new music. Artists won’t be prepared to take risks or make niche music in fear of selling less, gone will be challenging art and musical expression as those who make it have to ‘sell out’ to keep food on their tables and shoes on their feet. Paying for the music we listen to or losing the music as we know it today, it must be time we decide which is the lesser of the two evils.

The Silly Army

Space hopping adults get a massive four figure grant from Bournemouth Borough Council.

The Silly Army, an unusual adult sports club were awarded a £4,200 grassroots grant from Bournemouth Borough Council this week.
Founded by Peter Reed and David Hann in 2006, the two forty-year-olds were glad to finally get the recognition and financial support, “The last two years David and I have almost paid for everything ourselves,” Said Peter, who hopes it will at least pay for some new laser guns and space hoppers, “We do tend to lose one a week at the moment.”

The group’s activities include dodge ball, ultimate frisbee, volleyball and they’re already in preparation for the annual New Milton Pedal Car Grand Prix this July. Local lorry driver Peter insists it’s all about the taking part though, “The cars got four buckled wheels at the moment so I can’t see us being that competitive.”
Open to anyone 18 and over, the Silly Army boasts a group of nearly 70 regular recruits including Robert, a retired 60-year-old, “He’s probably our oldest member but he still likes to get stuck in.” There’s no membership and no fee required, anyone is welcome to turn up and play every Sunday afternoon at Kings Park.
Greg, a thirty-five year old accountant found out about the Silly Army online, “I just wanted a bit of exercise; I sit down all day in my job, it’s nice to be able to get out and run about a bit.” Peter and David have high hopes for the Army’s future now they’ve finally got the grant, “I think every town in the UK should have a Silly Army.” David remarks, “We do plan to take over the world at some stage.”

Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle

Two decades under the comedy spotlight Stewart Lee is now one of the most respected stand up comedians in the country and across television, radio, stand up, print and even theatre he has become synonymous with creating challenging, often controversial comedy. Like Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and Bill Hicks before him Lee has fought hard public and private battles. He was almost forced into police protection four years ago after receiving death threats for his involvement in writing and directing the critically-acclaimed ‘Jerry Springer the Opera’.
‘Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle’ on BBC2 will mark his first return to television in just over a decade but the forty-one-year-old insists he isn’t going to go looking for mainstream acceptance now, “I’m curious as I get good reviews and other comedians seem to like me, it’ll be interesting to see how the general public will react and how it will be received.” Still haunted by the Jerry Springer fiasco, Lee is cautious when flirting with larger audiences, “I’m always worried about getting in the middle of a big scandal again,” He references the opera and confesses, “It was a very tiring and very confusing experience.”
The series certainly hasn’t kept shy of the controversial subjects; political correctness, money, religion and celebrity all come under the lens. Lauded by fellow comedians and celebrities, Lee was labelled the best stand up in Britain by Ricky Gervais, yet he unashamedly remains here the outsider clown figure, the first episode giving him a chance to use his dry wit and satirical style to send up Chris Moyles, Jeremy Clarkson and rapper Asher D.
Lee has, as is traditional, taken meticulous care to work in the material, touring it for over half a year before he felt it was ready for recording. “I just wanted to make sure the stuff was proper stand up rather than just jokes for the television. When you see a stand up there is an internal rhythm and a nice sense of a story being told, whereas what we tend to see of stand ups on TV is them delivering one line on panel games.”
The series blends customary stand up performances with short sketch pieces, stylistically it is reminiscent of older stand up shows, “When I was growing up there was a comic called Dave Allen on TV who also did very long routines, quietly while sitting in a chair and then they would cut to a film item. So I thought it can work but it just can’t work like it’s done now with very fast cutting, in a very brightly lit room, or on a panel show or in a 4,000 seater, none of those would suit me.”
Directed by eminent comedy figure Armando Iannucci (Alan Partridge) with script contribution from Chris Morris (Brasseye) the series manages to collect some of the finest talent in British comedy, including Paul Merton, Kevin Eldon, Stephen K Amos, Tim Vine and even a rare television appearance from Jerry Sadowitz as Jimmy Saville no less.
Stewart Lee remains typically reserved and detached when he thinks about the success the show might receive. Preferring rather to celebrate the achievement of making such a series, he assures everyone he will be back touring a brand new show come autumn.

Old Fire Station Shambles

The Staff at Bournemouth’s Old Fire Station regularly have to risk their own personal security to act as security guards for live music concerts, staff members have claimed. The student union venue faced fresh criticism last night as it was revealed incompetent management regularly compromises the staffs personal security. Untrained staff were expected to secure the door and control the crowd for a Milburn concert at the venue on the 27th of November last year, a inside source revealed. By law the 1,000 capacity venue should employ one qualified security guard for every hundred people; however the stage staff without any security guard training were expected to handle the event without prior notice or training.
“We were just told when we got there that they’d be no security and we’d be expected to manage the door.” A staff member who wanted to remain anonymous added, “It was so dangerous.”
The event manager Angus Carter has also been caught trying to pay off bands playing at other local venues to play at the Old Fire Station instead. Concert promoters from opposing ‘iBar’ in Bournemouth have accused Old Fire Station of trying to pay ‘Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.’ more money to play their night over the road. The Old Fire Station refused to comment however a representative from Liberation Frequency Promotions who hired the band said “It was truly shocking behaviour for a venue with so much prominence in the local community.”