Frank Turner Taps Jason Isbell, Muse’s Dom Howard for New Song ‘The Gathering’

Frank Turner envisions the first concerts after Covid-19 lockdown on his new song, “The Gathering,” featuring Jason Isbell and Muse drummer Dom Howard.

Considering its subject matter, “The Gathering” is appropriately arena-sized from the start as Turner bellows over booming drums and towering glam rock riffs: “The first time that the beat drops in the bar, it’s going to be biblical!/The second that the singalong starts, it’ll be sensational!” The track (which was produced by Rich Costey) ends with Isbell unleashing the mightiest guitar solo he can muster.

In a statement, Turner said of “The Gathering,” which marks his first new music in two years, “It’s about that moment when you come together in a room full of people, and you lean on a stranger and sing along with the chorus and get the words wrong.”

Along with releasing “The Gathering,” Turner announced a string of outdoor shows in the United Kingdom this summer. The shows will essentially be one-day festivals with Turner headlining and support coming from artists on the Xtra Mile Recordings roster, including Skinny Lister, Johnny Lloyd, Pet Needs, Ducking Punches, Non Canon, Deux Furieuses, Berries, Guise, and Semantics. Lineups will vary across the dates, and the shows will adapt to either allow for socially distanced attendance or full capacity, depending on Covid-19 safety regulations at the time. A full list of dates is available on Turner’s website, where tickets will also go on sale Friday, May 7th.