Frank Turner is truly “undefeated” and he may remain so for awhile after reportedly setting a new world record over the weekend. Turner managed to play 15 shows in 15 different cities in under 24 hours, all while promoting his new Undefeated album.
It appears as though Turner is keen on keeping the title for some time as the previous record for shows played in multiple cities in a 24-hour period was 10. The shows took place between Saturday (May 4) and Sunday (May 5), with all of the concerts having to last at least 15 minutes in length with no repeated venues and a minimum of 25 audience members at each show.
On behalf of the Music Venue Trust, which supported Turner in his attempt, the singer played independent record shops and concert venues primarily during the run. It all started at Liverpool’s Jacaranda Baltic on Saturday at 12:30PM, wrapping up at Southampton’s The Brook near midday on Sunday.
Frank Turner’s Thoughts on His World Record Attempt
Prior to the world record attempt, Turner laughingly told Radio Caroline, “My crew have been very assiduous in reminding me that this was my idea, therefore I don’t get to blame anybody else for this.”
“It’s a challenge, and let’s be honest, it’s a hook to hang an album promotion off of, so that’s cool. It’s also a degree of community building too cause every show is for an independent music venue that it supporting the music venue trust which is ticketed by a local independent record store and not quite all of them but most of them we have local unsigned artists opening the shows as well.”
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In addition to the crew, Turner relied on the cab company Freenow for transportation between venues and even offered some free promotion reportedly putting his face on the side of a cab.
Start to Finish
Taking the stunt in stride, Turner, donning a “Whose Stupid Idea Was This Anyway?” T-shirt posed for one final photo before taking off to play his first show. “Here we go friends. 15 shows, 15 town, 24 hours. This is a terrible idea. Thanks to the venues, my crew, the record shops and @musicvenuetrust – let’s do this.,” he remarked.
Videographer Mark Beaumont captured and shared footage from most of the stops on the X social media platform. See some of the footage below.
After the run of 15 shows in 15 cities in under 24 hours was complete, Turner said in a statement, “I’m extremely proud — and yet more exhausted — after completing the challenge to get the world record. The main drive for me was to highlight the work of independent venues and record shops and the Music Venue Trust, as well as bringing over 3000 people together in 24 hours for a good time. I did 24 shows in 24 hours in London in 2009, but this was arguably a bigger challenge, and a more official one. Time for some sleep!”
How Did Fans Respond to Turner’s World Record Attempt?
Turner has one of the more dedicated fanbases in the rock world these days, and many were on board to catch at least one or multiple shows. Some even went as far as joining the singer for all 15 of the performances. See some of the fan reactions below.
What’s Next for Frank Turner
Turner’s tenth studio album, Undefeated, was released on Friday (May 3), featuring the songs “No Thank You for the Music,” “Do One,” “Girl From the Record Shop” and “Letters.” It’s available through his website.
You can also find Turner’s growing list of tour dates that picks up again on May 12 in Milan, Italy and continues over the following week to a May 17 finale in Hamburg, Germany. Then, it’s off to the U.S. for shows starting May 25 in Boston. See all tour dates and get Frank Turner ticketing info through his website.
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Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire
