A well chosen support act can make an evening and Ben did a great job when he picked Talia Rae. Ben has written songs with Talia and tonight gave her the opportunity to give an emotionally intense performance with some excellent songs and performance. Definitely a lady to look out for in the future.
Not A Heartbreak
No Surprises
It was definitely late 90s. I picked up a magazine - can't remember which one. It had a free cd. Now normally I'd find about one track that vaguely interested me on this type of cd but this one had THREE.
Three young male English singer songwriters. Just about to start their journeys, they hadn't even released an album yet.
The three were Blair Dunlop. Luke Jackson & Benjamin Francis Leftwich. Absolutely astonishing how three superb brand new artists all appeared on this one cd. Just blew me away!! And I've actively followed each one's career ever since.
Luke - The Voice. Blair - The Musicality. Ben - The Sensitivity.
All just brilliant and each has found their own place in the company of the finest singer songwriters that the UK has to offer. Normally I manage to catch up with Luke & Blair every year but with Ben, he's a bit more enigmatic and doesn't tour as much as the other two fellas. So I hasn't seen him since his Cardiff Globe show. Not the best place to see him but more of that later.
Ben has just released his 6th album - Some Things Break. Another beautiful statement to add to the fabulous canon of work he is building.
albums and eps to date
2011 - Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm LP 2012 - Into The Open EP 2014 - Home Covers LP
2016 - After The Rain LP 2018 - I Am With You EP 2019 - Gratitude LP 2019 Elephant EP
2021 - To Carry A Whale LP 2024 - Some Things Break LP
He begins his set with a track from said album New York.
NEW YORK
Ben has always had the most sensitive voice of the three boys and his songs reflect this. Armed mainly with just an acoustic guitar for the majority of the evening it highlights his voice to the full.
Now over the years Ben has had his issues. he talks about this in the show but that's where I'll leave it. Suffice to say he hasn't had an easy journey which makes the quality of the songs and his albums even more remarkable. But it is what it is and at the moment he seems to be in a good place.
Accompanied by multi instrumentalist and songwriter Jamie Squire, Ben touches on most of his albums in the performance.
For the second track this evening we had the shimmering Cherry In Tacoma from the Album To Carry A Whale
Cherry In Tacoma
As I said earlier, the last time I saw Ben was in The Globe, totally the wrong venue for such a sensitive young man and his songs. However, I think Ben found his spiritual Welsh home in Acapela Studios. The crowd was so quiet and respectful during the songs you could hear a pin drop and I'm sure this must have pleased Ben no end, a crowd that actually listens to the songs.
I'm not going to give the set away - just give you a few of MY personal highlights of a fabulous evening.
Tilikum
A stunning show - like being caressed into submission with a velvet glove over a sensuous 2 hours.
One of the most intimate moments of the evening as Ben leaves the microphone to give an acapella version on Pictures from his debut album.
Pictures
I have never seen Ben look so comfortable on stage as he was tonight.
And with Jamie to back him up Ben kept the instrumentation and sound just right - simple with just guitar and keyboards with some well placed electronic flourishes via an analogue synth and pedal steel.
A Love Like That
Elephant
Ben straps on the electric for the only time in the evening for of my all time Ben favourites - the shimmeringly gorgeous Butterfly Culture.
Butterfly Culture
Here is a short film about the new album Some Things Break
For the second time tonight Ben leaves the microphone, Guitar in hand and gives the enraptured crowd a stunning acapella version of Atlas Hands. The crowd just went wild.
Atlas Hands
As befits such a reflective and quiet show, Ben and Jamie end the show with the gorgeous Oh My God Please.
I have never seen Ben perform better and I've seen him a few times. I hope he felt the love in the room and comes to visit us again in Acapela Studios.
As I said to his sound man after the show - He should have recorded tonight as a live album. It would have been perfect.
