Benjamin Francis Leftwich, the singer/songwriter from York has an album on the way.
"Last smoke before the snowstorm" is released July 4th and so the mandatory promotional gigs have recently taken place.
I saw him perform at Manchester's Death Institute and here are a few notes....
Firstly, let me just say that the venue was top draw. Imagine the smallest screen in the old odeon in Chester, but replace the screen with a raised stage, and you got it.
The atmosphere was very relaxed with the majority of the crowed made up of students from the near by Manchester Met Uni. Both Benjamin and his support (who unfortunately I cant remember the name of) were left stunned by a very respectful crowed who lapt up the intimate vibe that was laid on before them.
Whats more, the support was more than the coldplay impersonators i had them down to be.
Made up of one guitarist/vocalist and 1 pianist/backing vocals, they tied in well with Benjamin's solo work and set up the main act well by delighting the crowed with 6 cuts of honest Leeds folk.
By the end of the short set the duo were showered with applause and calls of an encore to be played, but instead they left the stage in a quiet hurry, making sure the appreciative crowed didn't blow there wad to early on!
Which leads me onto Ben's performance.
Having never seen him perform live before (and only having heard a few songs before the gig, all taken from his first EP) I didn't know how long his haunting folk styling would hold my attention.
Well, it did.
Playing somewhere in the region of 12 songs he gave the crowed exactly what they wanted.
Standing in the middle of a stage surrounded by several different guitars, he picked and strummed his way through them in a set that included "1908" & "Butterfly Culture" as well as a few unreleased numbers that went down just as well as the crowed favourites.
The girls cooed with young lust as he sang about broken hearts and promises and the boys nodded in appreciation.
From the first song to the last he held the audiences attention wonderfully well. The occasional nervous glances around the packed out venue soon turned into a confident stare as he realised the silence of the crowed was that of utter admiration.
On 2 occasions Ben stepped away from his several mics and sang out into the open as if he was alone in his room, singing to himself. The transfixed audience realised that these sorts of moments are something to truly appreciate and just stared back - lost in the songs.
If I was to offer any criticism it would be that when he switched to electric guitar for 1 or 2 numbers, it didn't cross over as well as it could of done. Rather than beefing up the songs with added reverb it in fact made the songs sound slightly flat and a bit forced.
But it would be harsh to hold it against this particular one man band who is surly destined for great things.
Folk music in the mainstream again, you better believe it.
