FRANK TURNER is today airing the latest new track lifted from his forthcoming eighth album, ‘NO MAN’S LAND’ (out August 16th on Xtra Mile Recordings/Polydor Records), produced by Catherine Marks and featuring an all-female cast of musicians. ‘No Man’s Land’ – dedicated to the fascinating stories of women whose incredible lives have all too often been overlooked by dint of their gender – is accompanied by a new 13 part podcast series, ‘Tales From No Man’s Land’, created in collaboration between Frank and production company Somethin’ Else. Digging deeper into the lives of the thirteen women featured on the new album in conversation with special guests, ‘Tales From No Man’s Land’ hit #2 on the Apple UK podcast chart upon launch. Today’s latest episode focuses on 1800s Dodge City vaudeville star and philanthropist Dora Hand, the titular subject of this latest track, ‘The Death Of Dora Hand’.
The women featured on ‘No Man’s Land’ come from across wide geographical and historical lines. They include Byzantine princess Kassiani (The Hymn of Kassiani), Egyptian feminist activist Huda Sha’arawi (The Lioness), and Resusci Anne (Rescue Annie) an apocryphal drowned virgin whose face was used as the model for the medical CPR mannequin across the world. There’s the serial killer from the Deep South who plucked her victims from lonely hearts pages (Nannie Doss), the jazz-obsessed heiress who fought for the Free French (Nica Rothschild) and a rowdy coach house landlady from 17th century Camden Town accused of witchcraft (Jinny Bingham).
“It’s bringing together my two main interests in life, which have always been separate from each other – history and songwriting,” explains Turner, who can be found seeking out long-forgotten historical sites on self-guided psychogeographical strolls when he’s not packing out arenas or headlining festivals.
The ‘Tales From No Man’s Land’ podcast is available from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast and all other podcast platforms.
NO MAN’S LAND features thirteen tracks:
- Jinny Bingham’s Ghost
- Sister Rosetta
- I Believed You, William Blake
- Nica
- A Perfect Wife
- Silent Key
- Eye of the Day
- The Death of Dora Hand
- The Graveyard of the Outcast Dead
- The Lioness
- The Hymn of Kassiani
- Rescue Annie
- Rosemary Jane
FRANK TURNER will be performing in the UK throughout the summer:
JULY
11th 2000 Trees Festival, Cheltenham
12th Wasteland Festival, Newcastle
14th Folk By The Oak Festival, Hatfield
AUGUST
3rd Wickham Festival, Fareham
4th Tunes in the Castle, Exeter
9th Cropredy Festival, Cropredy
22nd Cottingham Folk Festival (Solo Show)
25th Greenbelt Festival, Kettering