Birth name Stuart Turner Role Singer Name Stuart Turner | Labels Brigadier Records Instruments Vocals, guitar Record label Brigadier Records | |
Associated acts The Flat Earth Society, Brigadier Ambrose Albums A Gallon of Water Makes a Mile of Fog Genres Blues, Folk music, Alternative rock | ||
Stuart Turner (born Bournemouth, Dorset, England) is an English alternative blues singer. He now lives in Medway, Kent. Having released two solo albums, Turner formed the band Stuart Turner & The Flat Earth Society, who release their 5th album Scowl in the summer of 2017.
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Initial solo releases
Though being an active musician for a number of years, and playing with a number of different local musicians, Turner's first official solo release came on Sun Pier Records, a Chatham based record label distributed by Cargo, and formed by friend and fellow musician Kris Dollimore, ex-guitarist with The Damned. Turner produced Dollimore's debut Sun Pier release (02/01/1978) in 2006, writing a song on it ("The North Kent Post Industrial Hillstomp Blues") which received national airplay on BBC Radio Two. Turner's own solo appeared a few months later with his debut album, A Gallon of Water Makes a Mile of Fog, which one critic described as "packed full of ideas". Turner supported Dollimore in gigs around England and spent 2006 and 2007 playing shows in a diverse selection of venues, including bowling alleys, cabaret clubs and Swedish festivals, which one reviewer described as "scaring the living daylights out of the assembled crowd with his spooky folk blues". Turner's second album, File Under Carnal Knowledge, was described a freight train riding back bar room down at heel blues", and released on Sun Pier in February 2009.
The Flat Earth Society
Turner formed The Flat Earth Society with guitarist Robbie Wilkinson in 2009 to record what became the band's first album Gin & Bitters. Alongside Turner and Wilkinson in the original line-up were Ray Hunt on drums and Dave Sawicki on bass (with occasional trumpet from John Whitaker). The album was released on CD and digital download in July 2010, through the independent Brigadier Records. The band added "steam driven power" to his "anguished urban blues", and provided the opportunity for live performances around the South East of England, including the Lounge On The Farm festival. Turner & The Flat Earth Society performed gigs to the end of 2010, including a Christmas ball at Oxford University. A live version of "Murder On Gaslight Street" was made available for free download via Medway Eyes in October 2010, whilst Brigadier Records released the Gin & Bitters album tracks, "Shimmy" and "South Sea Blues" as radio promos in December that year. Gin & Bitters was followed up with the limited vinyl EP release Weekend Hearts in 2011 before the band recorded On The Brink Of Misadventure, which was their final album release with Brigadier Records.
At this point, the band underwent some line-up changes, with a new line-up containing Turner, Wilkinson, Nick Rice (bass), Bob Collins (guitarist formerly with The Dentists), Rob Shepherd (from The Singing Loins on banjo, mandolin and accordion) and James Kerr recording a new album during 2013. At this point, the band began their association with Vacilando '68 Recordings in Autumn of 2013 and acquired publishing through Bucks Music Publishing. The new album, The Art and Science of Phrenology: a presentation by Stuart Turner and The Flat Earth Society was released by Vacilando '68 in February 2014.
Steve Moore replaced James Kerr as drummer in time for a new EP, The Gentleman's Club, released by Vacilando '68 in October 2014. Whilst recording what would become the band's 4th album, the band gigged extensively around the South East and London and started to make in-roads into the grass roots festival circuit, with an appearance at 2015's Bearded Theory festival a particular highlight. The 4th album, eponymously named, was released to critical acclaim by Vacilando '68 in April 2016 following a long period of artwork and pressing delays. The band had a two-page feature in Maverick Magazine.
Current activity
With Mike Sewell replacing Steve Moore on drums, the band recorded their 5th album, to be released as Scowl in 2017. The album also features guest appearances from Rachel Lowrie and David Read (of The Claim). Some left-over songs from the album were released as a digital only release in February 2017.