Frank Turner is famed for music with a political edge
Photo: Fred Rockwood
Musician Frank Turner has responded to comments made this week by Paloma Faith about the role of politics in the music industry.
Speaking to The Guardian, Faith said that the music industry was “scared” of politics and artists were unwilling to speak out on political issues.
Folk-punk star Turner, however, told Your Election 15 that he thought the comments were “a touch facile”.
“The music industry is very comfortable with one very specific type of politics – essentially Labour left,” said the singer-songwriter, who released rage-fuelled political track ‘Thatcher F**ked the Kids’ in 2006.
“There’s an awful lot of groupthink though, and you get a vicious reaction if you ever step outside the pre-ordained lines of commentary, which isn’t the same thing as being afraid of politics per se.”
Turner received death threats in 2012 after a Guardian piece unearthed comments he had made in interviews that hinted at right-wing political views.
He was forced to clarify his position and now describes himself as a classical liberal.
Asked whether he thought musicians should engage more with politics, he said: “I don’t think musicians should do much of anything other than make music.”
I agree with Frank Turner
I was at the BIC concert, for her to say don’t vote UKIP was out of place, misguided and wrong.
She talked about her mother who obviously votes Labour.
She quoted the Guardian’s Owen Jones, whose mother votes Labour!
Surely mature people should be more open and questioning than following their parents trends.
Turner is an Eton-educated fake who studied alongside Prince William. His father is an Eton-educated ex-city investment banker. His grandfather was chairman of British Home Stores. He’s part of the elite that his “classical liberalist” music allegedly rallies against. Who cares what he thinks?