Frank Turner is one name that British music fans should be well aware of by now, as he’s really built up a following with his own brand of folk-punk in recent years. Never one by halves, Frank set off this year to become a world record holder, aiming to beat the record for playing the most gigs in different cities within 24 hours.

Review by Jane Howkins

Photo by Rebecca Gallagher

Due to the nature of this leg of gigs, Frank decided to play a number of incredibly small venues, instead of the larger stages he is usually chosen for. I couldn’t pass up to the opportunity to see Frank perform in a local town to me (Chesterfield), held at a tiny bar called Gasoline – The American Bar on May 4th 2024. Lovely place it is too, with rock music blaring from the speakers, good beer, arcade machines, and a nice little seating area out the back.

Frank performed in Sheffield at 6pm and was set to come on stage in Chesterfield at 7.30pm – with such a short time between sets (and how rubbish our roads tend to be!), we were a little worried he wouldn’t make it, but everything seemed to go without a hitch. Naturally, there were no support acts beforehand, with Frank playing a short acoustic set by himself.

The bulk of the set consisted of songs taken from Frank’s brand new album Undefeated. The record had only just come out that day and we hadn’t really had much of a chance to listen to it, but the raw passion and emotion Frank put into the show really made the songs come alive. Particular favourites were Girl From the Record Store and International Hide and Seek Champions, with a couple of his more well known hits (such as the anthemic Recovery and If Ever I Stray rounding the set out nicely.

After raucous applause, Frank dashed off to Nottingham to continue with the tour. We’re pleased to announce his world record attempt was successful – let’s hope he tries something like this again in the near future!