Musician Frank Turner, famed for his high-octane performances with band The Sleeping Souls, has reflected on 25 years of touring as a music artist and said that when he started out everybody told him he “couldn’t do” it.
Turner, known for songs that include I Still Believe and Recovery, has upcoming shows in the US and played Main Stage West at Reading Festival on Friday.
The 41-year-old also played the Main Stage West on Saturday afternoon at Leeds Festival.
He said he feels lucky he might be able to tour for the rest of his life and revealed this August marked 25 years since he first hit the road.
Looking back on his experiences as a musician, Turner told the PA news agency: “My career highlight is the fact I’m still doing it (music).
“When I was a kid, my parents, my friends, my school teachers, everybody told me not only that I couldn’t do this, but I shouldn’t do this. And then I did.
“Then, you know, a lot of people kind of have a few years doing this and then luck in life falls away, and it’s not a lifelong thing and there’s nothing shameful about that.
“I’m one of the lucky few who’s in my 40s and still doing this, and has the prospect of doing this probably for the rest of my life.
“That’s such a lucky place to be in and I feel really, really proud of that, and I feel really fortunate about that.”
Turner also talked about his mindset when he performs on stage and said: “If I don’t feel exhausted, then I feel like I haven’t done my job properly.
“In a funny way, my kind of secret weapon as a performer was the fact I grew up going to see really, really dementedly energetic hardcore bands like The Chariot and Sick Of It All and Agnostic Front and stuff like that.
“I don’t play that kind of music.
“I don’t play super aggressive hardcore punk, but I try and take that kind of attitude towards the show, and if I feel like if I’ve got anything left at the end of the show, then I feel like I haven’t given enough while I was on stage.”
Turner’s most recent album, FTHC, which stands for Frank Turner Hardcore, was released in 2022 and the singer said that he has another record coming out next year.
