Popular musician sings Boston’s praises and calls for others to go off the beaten track

Singer-songwriter Frank Turner performed to more than 1,000 people at the Gliderdrome on Saturday on the back of his latest album No Man’s Land.

The release – a concept album – is inspired by women from history, often with connections to music, and charted at number three last year, behind Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi.

Following Saturday’s performance at the Gliderdrome (which in its heyday welcomed the likes of T.Rex, Elton John, Tom Jones, Stevie Wonder, and Jimi Hendrix), Turner made a rallying cry on Twitter for ‘established touring bands, promoters, booking agents, and managers’ to visit places like Boston or to ‘PLAY THE REGIONS’.

“Last night I played Boston, UK, at The Gliderdrome. It’s a lovely, classic venue, used to host all the greats in the 60s, but has been pretty dry in recent decades,” he began.

Continuing, he said: “Yesterday, we had over 1,000 people in. Everyone at the venue was DELIGHTFUL (hi Steve and Danny), the show was awesome.

“Boston is off the beaten path, but get this: people live there, and they want to see shows.

“In particular, after the show I met a young lady who told me this was her first show – EVER. She’s a big music fan but can’t afford to travel for shows. Finally someone played near where she lived. She was over the moon, as was I.”

Describing his post at the off as a ‘medium length rant’, he continued: “And here’s the point: bands, especially touring bands who are on the up and doing well, should PLAY THE REGIONAL TOWNS (B markets, whatever). If you pay people the respect of going to them, they will repay with attendance and loyalty.

“Everyone wins. You get a good show (1k+ is great! Your band is probably bigger than me, they could do more!). You sell merch, you get paid. People at the show have a blast. The venues prosper. The live music scene in the UK grows.

“If your band only ever plays Manchester/Glasgow/Birmingham/London etc., once they’re not on the radio anymore, your live audience will dwindle. Earn a crowd, and they’ll stick with you.

“You get to see more of the country as well, which is a privilege. Boston is lovely, so’s Folkestone, Aylesbury, Croydon, Middlesbrough etc.”

Concluding, he said: “There are tons of great venues in smaller towns out there. Agents, seek them out. Bands / managers, ask to play in different places. This is important. Spread the word. And, to finish, I’ll be back at the Glider as soon as I can. FIN.”

At the time of writing, the post had been re-tweeted almost 350 times and attracted 1,400 likes.