Frank Turner breaks world record for live shows
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(Credits: Shannon Shumaker)
Beginning on Saturday, May 4th, Frank Turner played 15 shows across the United Kingdom in 24 hours, hoping to beat the world record.
Turner began his world record attempt at Liverpool record store Jacaranda Baltic. Throughout the 24-hour tour, he played on stages across Sheffield, Leeds, Birmingham and more, including a 4am show at London’s Camden Underworld. The tour culminated in Southhampton at The Brook.
“In the last 24 hours,” Turner shared on Instagram after completing his final show, “accompanied by my crew (Doug and Tre and Mark), we played 15 shows in 15 different towns around the UK. According to the Music Venue Trust rules, that’s the world record by five shows.”
The Music Venue Trust rules included a minimum set length of 15 minutes and a minimum of 25 people present in the audience. They also specified that performers must be paid, tickets advertised, and performances filmed.
The Music Venue Trust will submit the information and evidence of Turner’s 24-hour tour to Guinness World Records for verification. “Proud. Tired. Grateful. Long live independent music,” Turner concluded.
Turner’s world record attempt also comes in support of his new album, Undefeated, which was released last week. The record received a three-star rating from Far Out. “Undefeated might be a mixed bag,” Arun Starkey wrote, “with the highlights exemplary and the pitfalls forgettable, but the songwriter remains firmly on his path.”
The record was previously held by country artist Hunter Hayes, who played ten gigs in ten different cities in 2014. Hayes had also supported the previous title-holders, The Flaming Lips, at one of their record-breaking shows just two years before. The psych outfit played eight shows in 24 hours in 2012.
Just one day before Turner’s touring feat, Manchester emo outfit Crywank made their own attempt at the title, playing one more show than Turner. “Trying to break the world record (unofficial no way I’m paying for Guinness to verify it) of most cities played in a day,” Crywank shared on Instagram ahead of the tour.
Beginning on May 3rd in Lancaster, singer Jay Clayton played 16 solo sets in 16 different cities. He took to stages across the north and midlands, playing independent venues such as the Lughole in Sheffield and Mabgate Bleach in Leeds, before ending at the 1 in 12 Club in Bradford.
Read Turner’s full statement on the tour below.
