July 27, 2012 22:08

Frank Turner plays Olympics opening ceremony

The folk punk singer kicked off London 2012 with a three song set

Photo: PA

Frank Turner played three songs to kick off the London 2012 Olympic Games' Opening Ceremony earlier tonight.

Appearing with an extended version of his band the Sleeping Souls, that also included Jim Lockey, Ben Marwood and Emily Barker, Turner performed atop one of the Olympic Stadium's grass-covered hills, in front of an estimated audience of 80,000 in the Stratford venue and millions worldwide watching on television.

He was asked to appear in the prologue to the evening's event by the Opening Ceremony's director Danny Boyle - the pair are pictured together below. Of his performance, Turner said: "Being asked to play the Opening Ceremony was something I never imagined was going to happen in my wildest most feverish dreams; but the fact that Danny Boyle asked me personally, as a fan, convinced me to do it. It's a pretty terrifying prospect, but I'm secretly pretty happy to be part of it, it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

Paul McCartney previously let slip that he would also be performing at the opening ceremony, which is taking place tonight (July 27) in East London.

The soundtrack to the opening ceremony will be released after the event. Titled 'Isles Of Wonder: Music For The Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games', the album will be digitally released at midnight tonight. A physical release will follow on August 6.

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