I’m at a hotel at the airport in Berlin, preparing myself, mentally and physically, for the total arse-wipe of a flight to Australia. 3 different planes, 26 hours, and a kick-in-the-balls time change to boot. The excellent consolation is that at the end of it I’ll be in Australia, which is plain awesome, but don’t expect me to not complain about it.

A couple of things to mention. First up, I’m pleased to say I’ll be back in the North-East (of England) this summer, in the form of Ignition Festival, on August 6th. Tickets and information are right here. Also on the gig front, I’m pleased to say that on the day of my show in Brighton for the Great Escape Festival (May 12th), I’ll be doing a talk at 2pm at the Pavilion. I’m not 100% sure what it involves, mainly me talking about life, the universe and everything, with some healthy Q&A sessions at the end. Come join.

Also on the gig front… My 1000th show, in London on April 21st, is nearly sold out now, so if you’re planning on coming I’d get tickets now. There were less than 40 left at the last count. For that show, we’ve got a run of very limited “Frank Turner is 1000 gigs old” shirts, only 200 will ever exist, so get down early and pick one up.

Finally, speaking of 1000 shows… To coincide with the milestone, my good friend David Nicol is selling a print of a shot he took at my first ever solo show, back in September 2004. You can check it out and order one here. Enjoy.

Right, to the plane…