As he approaches the landmark of his 3000th show, on Saturday, May 4th, and Sunday, May 5th, acclaimed singer-songwriter Frank Turner embarked on the first-ever Music Venue Trust world record attempt where he performed the most official shows in different cities in 24 hours. In this timeframe, Turner played 15 solo shows, with each set running for a minimum of 20 minutes, and every performance was held at an independent venue, ticketed by an independent record shop.
The previous record was held by Hunter Hayes with 10 shows, and before that it was The Flaming Lips with eight. The challenge supported grassroots venues and independent record stores across the UK, and Turner’s effort was supported by London’s No. 1 Taxi app FREENOW, who provided e-taxis for him to complete the almost 500-mile journey.
Turner had the following to share about the achievement: “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!”
Music Venue Trust CEO and Founder Mark Davyd had the following to share as well: “If there was a knighthood for supporting the grassroots live music community, he would already be Sir Frank Turner. With this latest effort, Frank has once again demonstrated how central to everything he is as an artist that the live music experience is. We will be submitting all the details of these shows, the evidence required to verify each event, over to Guinness World Records and we believe they will recognise that Frank is the new world record holder.“