FOR those unable to get tickets for Frank Turner’s homecoming on Monday (May 30), you were definitely in the majority.

The singer and songwriter from Winchester sold out the Railway Inn, which staged some of his first shows, within minutes.

Ahead of the gig, he talked to Amplified about returning home, his upcoming shows, and the new album.

His fourth studio release, England Keep My Bones, will hit the shelves on Monday (June 6).

Taking its cue from a Shakespearian quote, he said it was meant to be an “English” album to reflect his background.

He said: “When I’m touring I can be away for ages and 99 per cent of that time I’m the only English person in the room.”

However, he is not planning to hang up his guitar — made from the wood of a Meon Valley tree — through homesickness any time soon.

“I’m a long way away from saying ‘I’m bored with touring’. Maybe in five years I’ll be settled in the suburbs with a cat and a nine-to-five job, who knows, but right now I love touring,” he said.

His hectic schedule this summer includes headlining |the Blissfields Festival, which is moving from Bradley near Alresford to nearby Woodmancott.

It takes place on the first weekend of July, and he is looking forward to joining the likes of Tricky and Andy Burrows’ new project, I Am Arrows.

Frank said: “I’m really excited about Blissfields as it’ll be a chance to headline a festival on home ground, which is just fantastic.”

He added: “I’ve been to Blissfields before, but I wasn’t actually performing and I just went to watch a few bands and I had a really good time.”

He is also due to perform at the Reading and Leeds and Download Festivals this summer followed by a headline tour in America.

Another UK tour is then scheduled this autumn and the locations will be announced later this month.

While unable to reveal the schedule, he told Amplified that he wanted to play more shows at the Railway Inn after selling the venue out so quickly.

He said: “It got me thinking about whether to do a residence at The Railway for four of five nights. I haven’t got the time to spare at the moment, but maybe it’s something we can look at.”

He added that his good relationship with Ben Ward at The Railway Inn was instrumental in arranging his homecoming show.

It also gave him a chance to perform one of his new songs, Wessex Boy, in the city that inspired its lyrics.

However, far from being a love letter to King Alfred or Jane Austen, it is actually inspired by the city’s notorious one-way system!

To hear the song, check out for Frank’s new album, or catch him at Blissfields — for more details see www.blissfields.co.uk.

You can also hear Frank co-presenting Steve Lamacq’s Radio 2 show this Saturday.