Frank Turner has partnered with the Music Venue Trust to donate £1 from every ticket sale from his upcoming UK tour to grassroots venues.
- READ MORE: UK grassroots venues suffering from “the complete collapse of touring” – here’s how you can help
Last week Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls announced a UK headline tour for 2025.
Today (December 17), Turner wrote on social media: “For the upcoming April tour, I’m proud to say I’ve partnered up with my old friends at @musicvenuetrust. £1 from every ticket will go towards supporting local independent music venues.”
The MVT has repeatedly called for “action not kind words” as the live music sector heads for for “disaster”, and has shown that 2023 was the worst year for music venue closures. The likes of Coldplay, Enter Shikari and Sam Fender have all adopted a levy of their own.
Turner has previously echoed the MVT’s call for a £1 ticket levy at large-scale music events and has been a patron for the organisation – even performing in the House Of Commons to mark the launch of their 2023 Annual Report.
Turner said that he “would love to say he was surprised, but I wasn’t” by the news that 2023 was the worst year for venue closures to date, with 16 per cent of grassroots music venues shutting their doors over the past 12 months at a rate of two per week.
Speaking to NME earlier this year about his role in the music industry, Turner explained: “My role in this is twofold – to shout about it whenever I can and be positive and say it’s a really fucking cool thing to go to indie gigs. Don’t fucking go to an arena gig where you get charged nine quid for a beer!”
Earlier this year Turner took on the challenge to break the world record for the most shows played in 24 hours – which he beat with 15 gigs in 15 different towns. He took on the task in honour of the MVT, playing every show at an independent venue, with all tickets sold by independent record shops.
He kicked off at Liverpool’s Jacaranda Baltic at 12:30pm on Saturday (May 4), before finally completing his mission at Southampton’s The Brook at midday on Sunday (May 5).
The singer-songwriter and his live band will hit the road in April next year for his tour, making stops in Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, Swansea, Bristol, Folkestone and other locations. You’ll be able to buy any remaining tickets here – subject to availability.
Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls’ 2025 ‘Undefeated’ tour dates are:
APRIL
1 – NX, Newcastle
2 – O2 Academy, Leeds
4 – O2 Academy, Liverpool
5 – Academy, Manchester
6 – Rock City, Nottingham
8 – O2 Academy, Birmingham
10 – Corn Exchange, Cambridge
11 – O2 Academy, Oxford
12 – UEA, Norwich
14 – Corn Exchange, Ipswitch
15 – Sin City, Swansea
16 – O2 Academy, Bristol
18 – O2 Guildhall, Southampton
19 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone
Turner and The Sleeping Souls are also set to appear at Kendal Calling 2025, where they are billed as “special guests”.
Additionally, next year, Turner’s old post-hardcore band Million Dead reform for a series of live gigs – 20 years on from their break-up. They have already lined up a performance at 2000Trees 2025.
