A HOMECOMING gig next week is among a string of dates for Frank Turner, his first solo UK tour since 2011.

The pop punk troubadour, who hails from Meonstoke near Winchester, plays a sold out show at Winchester Guildhall on Wednesday, with special guests Micah Schnabel and Jess Guise.

HIs latest release in December, of a new DVD/CD, Show 2000 - Nottingham Rock City - 15/12/2016, captured Turner’s 2000th solo show to date in audio and video formats.

Speaking about the release, the culmination of a touring ethic which saw him average over 200 live shows per year for a decade straight, Frank told the Daily Echo: "I'm very happy to finally have the recordings of my 2000th show out there in the world - it's been a long time coming. It was a perfect show, and a great document of a certain place in time and in my career."

Frank and his band, the Sleeping Souls, were unveiled as the big Saturday night headline act for Wickham Festival last year alongside Hollywood rocker Kiefer Sutherland.

It was considered a major coup for organisers who finally managed to secure the services of the Wessex Boy for what was effectively a hometown gig.

Turner is now one of the biggest names on the rock circuit having played at the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics as well as selling out some of the biggest arenas in the country.

Wessex Boy, his love letter to growing up in Winchester, always goes down a storm at local dates, including several electrifying sold out Guildhall shows in Southampton.

A former member of punk rock band Million Dead, Frank Turner turned his attention to folkier, acoustic music after the demise of his hardcore outfit.

Since that time he has transformed himself into a successful, internationally charting, award-winning singer and songwriter of folk-punk-pop rebel songs.

Drawing comparisons to Billy Bragg and Bruce Springsteen among others, Turner still seems to occupy a niche of his own in British popular music. Making his debut with 2011's England Keep My Bones, 2013's Tape Deck Heart entered the Top 50 with sold-out concert appearances in ever larger venues, including Wembley Arena. By the time he released Be More Kind in 2018, Turner was selling out concerts on both sides of the Atlantic.