Has it really been TEN years already? Apparently so.
In the space of 10 years, the success of England Keep My Bones has seen Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls thrust into the spotlight, quite literally. From playing the Olympic opening ceremony in 2012 off the back of an incredible sell-out show at Wembley Area just 3 months prior! To then playing his 2000th live show at Rock City in 2016, and of course not forgetting the modest 500+ shows since that phenomenal night at Rock City! Produced by Tristan Ivemy and recorded at The Church Studios in 2011, the album saw Frank dwelling on themes of mortality and Englishness. Not two things that often go hand in hand in the music industry, but it led to Frank formulating some of his most profound and accomplished material in the process. It’s fairly safe to say that these ‘folk songs of the modern age’ have definitely ‘held us in their arms.’
So, therefore, what better way to celebrate than by releasing a 10-year edition of the album itself? Or if you think a repress isn’t enough, how about a bonus disc of unheard demo recordings from the ‘El Paso Sessions’ at the time, featuring not just the raw and unedited album tracks, but also demos from the deluxe edition tracks too! This should be enough to excite just about any Frank Turner fan I’m sure?! But there’s even more! The repress also comes with an exclusive download code for 15 additional Solo B-Sides recorded at Old Blacksmiths Studios that have never been available before! Surely this is just spoiling his fans at this point!
Discussing the legacy of the album, Frank had this to say-
“It’s been ten years since the album (or one of them) that changed everything in my life: “England Keep My Bones”. When we were making it, back in 2011 in Crouch End, I knew it would be special, but had no idea how far it would take me around the world. I’m extremely proud of and grateful for it. A decade on, we’re celebrating with an anniversary edition, double vinyl with beautiful new artwork. Vinyl comes in a variety of colours and features the full album plus exclusive demos. I hope you all enjoy.”
The thing I absolutely love about demo releases is that they give you a sneak peek into how your favourite musicians develop their art and this release does just that. So many lyrics that got changed, so many songs that are half completed, so many that are missing vital lines that we all scream at the top of our lungs at gigs these days and completely take for granted! This release really does give you an insight into Franks lyric writing process all those years ago.
The 10-year anniversary edition of England Keep My Bones is released today (June 4th) via Xtra Mile Recordings and can be ordered Here or streamed via Spotify and other streaming platforms. To top it off as well, today Frank announced his upcoming tour dates for the fourth instalment of Lost Evenings Festival happening in September this year where he’s going to be playing England Keep My Bones in full as well as many other sets across four nights! You can find more information on this from our press release Yesterday.
