Recent interview of Ben Howard on DIY

Here is one of the latest (9th octobre 2011) interviews of Ben. They seem to be fans too:

Ben Howard: ‘It’s All Me’" Charming, witty and endearingly verbose, we caught up with Ben during recent tour rehearsals

New song in the song list

Hi there

Thanks to Jaaki who posted it as a comment here, I've just discovered an old song of Ben HOWARD.

It is called "Wouldn't be a lie" and you can see a non profesionnal but beautiful video at this address. It has been recorded almost 2 years ago in a pub in the French Britanny called Café Sud.

Just one word: AMAZING ! One of his best for sure

Even the addition of a chorist is perfect, which is not always the case. Indeed, for certain songs one prefers to hear only him singing, like on "Games in the Dark". Here it is perfect

Just go for it

Stan

Ben Howard's first solo concert in Paris

he told you he liked Paris.

Well some friends of him found a smal concert room and he gonna play there on April 6st 2010.

It is called Le Point Ephémère

I don't know if you can book it right now but anyway don't forget this "historical" date.

... he may have deserved a better scene. Lets hope this is just for now

Stan

Ben and fink's interview

I've just discovered a backstage interview by FINK and Ben HOWARD last october when they both recorded "One Shot Not" (the video show of Manu Katche on Arte.tv)

The video is there

You won't learn much if y'oure a fan, but it's still worth a look. You shall learn about his "plan" : the famous album

Stan

One Shot Not

It's done.

Filmed 3 months ago as Ben was supporting Fink tour in Paris (at l'Alhambra), tonight was the night for people to discover Ben Howard as a real artist on TV, thanks to Manu Katche" One Shot Not

The show was not dedicated to him but he started it. 3 parts in the show:
- one backstage interview with the beautiful interviewer of the show (they never say her name)
- one rehearsal where you could see that Fink was even more nervous than Ben (and believe me, Ben was stressed during the first song)
- 2 songs : Three Tree Town and These Waters that are athe beginning of this video

This is Ben, so this was good. Manu gave him almost 15 mns, which is huged in such a show. And the video they made of him singing were amazingly good

To be perfectly honest, the first performance was not his best one. I mean for those who have seen Ben in live event, he is usually much more impressive. The second songs was far better.

Still, Ben can be even better. You can see it on the several videos on youtube.

So let's say that the show was very impressive for an unsigned artist, but stake may have been to high for Ben, stress was there and conditions were not perfect

He is learning the job :) (yea ok I'm an old guy, and this point of view may sounds strange from a fan..but believe me, he can do better)

If you meet him, tell him to play "Games in the Dark", "Cloud Nine" or "keep your head up". I know he doesnt like the last one for it's too much a surfer song. Anyway that one of his best.

Hope to see him again at Bataclan with Xavier RUDDD

See you there

Stan

Ben Howard's tour in Europe with Xavier RUDD

Hi folks

As you probably know, Ben is starting another tour with the Australian artist Xavier RUDD. They met during the 2008 Grassroots Festival in Jersey and then Xavier proposed Ben to come along with him during his previous European Tour. And here we are again:

- on Monday 08/02/2010: at the Dublin Academy in Dublin
- on Tuesday 09/02/2010: at the ABC in Glasgow
- on Thursday 11/02/2010: at the Academy in Manchester
- on Friday 12/02/2010: at the Princess Pavillions in Falmouth. Falmouth where Ben used to study journalism before starting music
- on Saturday 13/02/2010: at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London

Then back on the old continent with:
- on Monday 15/02/2010: at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels
- on Tuesday 16/02/2010: at the Paard in The Haague
- on Wednesday 17/02/2010: at the Paradiso in Amsterdam
- on Thursday 18/02/2010: at the Effenaar in Eindhoven
- on Saturday 20/02/2010: at the Bataclan, yes in Paris for the third time since last September. As Ben pointed out in one of his last messages "I keep going home and friends keep asking me where I’ve been and 9 times out of 10 I’ve been in Paris, or near Paris, or just about to go to Paris, or thinking about Paris. "
Note that to get your tickets don't expect to go on the Batacaln web sote which is not available anymore. Get them with Fnac.
- on Sunday 21/02/2010 (yes a Sunday) at the Bierhubeli in Bern
- on Monday 22/02/2010: at the Kaufleuten in Zürich

Hope to see you at least in Paris ;)

Three tree town - Ben Howard's lyrics

Hi again

Another lyrics, this time from one of his best songs. He published it on his myspace a couple of months ago : Three tree town.

The Myspace version could actually make a good single for a videoclip (not to mention cloud nine).

So enjoy: "

Three tree town.


Come in from the darkness on the edge of this three tree town.
Because it's thicker than the woods out there,
Settles harder than the cold winter ground.


Come in from the shadows of these boot black, marching clouds
Because trouble falls like rain,
And lately it's been pouring down.


I've seen loneliness
She wrapped me up with such tenderness
I've seen loneliness
She tied me down in her sweet caress.


Oh come in from the confines of your own mind my dear, because worry is all you'll find there it's clear.
And tomorrow will always come.
And tomorrow may well bring the sun.


Yeah i've seen loneliness
She wrapped me up with such tenderness.
And i've seen happiness
She came round here yesterday
In a bright blue dress..


And we go..
(end)

The Wolves - Ben Howard's lyrics

Hi guys,

So here are the first official lyrics published with the agreement of Ben, enjoy :

The Wolves.


Falling from high places, falling through lost spaces,
Now that we're lonely, now that there's nowhere to go.
Watching from both sides, these clock towers burning up,
I lost my time here, i lost my patience with it all.


And we lost faith, in the arms of love.


Where you been hiding lately, where you been hiding from the news?
Because we've been fighting lately, we've been fighting with the wolves.
With the wolves.
Red tongues and hands.


Falling from high places, falling through lost spaces,
Now that we're lonely, now that we're so far from home.
Watching from both sides, these towers been tumbling down,
I lost my mind here, I lost my patience with the lord.


And we lost faith, oh in the arms of love


Where you been hiding lately, where you been hiding from the news?
Because we've been fighting lately, we've been fighting with the wolves.
With the wolves.
Red tongues and hands.


We lost faith, in the arms of love.
(end)

Ben Howard's 2010

Hi there,

Happy new year to every one. And it's going to be ZE year for Ben, starting with
- 28/01/2010: a song at One Shot Not, a French-German music show led by Manu Katche (famous jazz-pop-rock drummer from the 80's and 90s, look at your old albums from Sting, Peter Gabriel, Dire Straits, Tears for Fears and so many others)
- Spring 2010: A European tour with once again another brilliant artist Xavier RUDD. Some of you may actually have discovered Ben'stalent during some of Xavier show last year
- Summer 2010: signature of an Album
- End of 2010: first single out :)

As we say in France, I don't usually say it, but Ben I tell you "merde" (that means good luck... sisi)

See you

Ben Howard's song list

Hi There,

I cannot call it an official list (even if Ben's told me that it seemed to be pretty exhaustiv for him) but those are Ben HOWARD's songs I found on the Internet with some dates (well actually only a year). I shall keep the list updated whenever I found more info on one song or another.

Tear away kids… 2007 Not published yet
Other side 2007 Not published yet
To the city  2008 Not published yet
Wouldn't be a lie 2008 Not published yet
Empty corridors 2008 Not published yet
Games in the dark 2008 Not published yet
Are you ready 2008 Not published
Me and My Friend Time 2008 Not published
Twilight 2008 Not published yet
Are you ready 2008 Not published yet
Keep you head up 2009 Not published yet
Under the same sun 2009 Not published yet
Everything 2009 Not published yet
Three Tree Town 2009 Not published yet
Soldier 2009 Not published yet

The wolves 2009 EP + Itunes
Cloud Nine 2009 EP + Itunes
London 2009 EP + Itunes
These waters 2009 EP + Itunes
Move like you want 2009 EP + Itunes
The fire (Bonus track) 2009 EP + Itunes

So let's make your search on youtube :)

Ben at Café de la Danse (Paris) : 02/11/2009

My first post will be dedicated to Ben Howard's latest show in France at Café de la danse a small but nice concert room in the Bastille neighbourhood of Paris.

Benjamin was performing as a support for Bret DENNEN. If you weren't there, you should at least know that the audience was so positively surprised by its performance that people cheers and claps made him come again for another song (it happen also with Fink who actually asked the audience if they wanted to here Ben sing another song... see it here)

Here is a copy of Laure DASINIERES' review (in French only) in Notfortourists-paris.com

"...
Lundi soir. Soap and Skin passe à l’Européen. Je m’attendais à ce que le Café de la Danse soit un peu vide… Tu parles.
On arrive à 20h et la salle est comble, juste assez de place pour se contorsionner au devant de la scène pour s’assoir. Je suis épatée parce que je ne connais ni Ben Howard qui ouvre ce soir, ni Brett Dennen qui assure la tête d’affiche. C’est bon signe pour la suite!
En tout cas, la soirée commence bien, très bien même, car le jeune anglais va livrer un set d’une incroyable maturité pour ses 22 ans et nous combler d’un song writting subtil et complexe nourri d’influences fortes (Nick Drake, Spingsteen, Ray Lamontagne, Jose Gonzales) qui ne semblent trop peser sur ses jeunes épaules.
Parenté ne voulant pas dire imitation, Ben trouve le ton juste pour se démarquer de ses prédécesseurs et offrir un son émouvant et fort, mélancolique et tempétueux, romantique sans une once de complaisance, de pleurnichage ou de guimauve.
Seul sur scène, il se suffit à lui même pour transmettre des émotions brutes qui touchent droit au cœur. Sa voix chaude, grave, un rien éraillée, parfois nasillarde mais surtout frissonante, comme traversée par des spasmes, porte en elle autant de force que de fragilité. Elle envoûte, simplement, sans jouer de manière outrancière sur la corde sensible. Il s’accompagne d’une guitare acoustique en se servant de toutes ses potentialités, de façon classique, pour produire des riffs ciselés et raffinés, ou en utilisant sa caisse de résonance pour composer des rythmiques organiques et prenantes. Il fait parfois les deux, tenant son instrument comme s’il s’agissait d’une cithare.
Ben Howard semble refuser toute concession: ses chansons sont construites avec une certaine sophistication, sans respect du typique schéma couplet/refrain et surtout en sachant gagner progressivement en intensité et en tempétuosité comme le sublime « London » qui débute de manière extrêmement sobre et minimaliste, langoureuse et émouvante pour monter progressivement en puissance, d’abord par quelques fins vibratos vocaux et instrumentaux puis par une guitare qui s’échauffe et s’emballe à mesure.
Sans jouer les écorchés vifs, ni les artistes torturés, Ben Howard livre des folk songs tortueuses, souvent sombres, parfois teintées d’un certain optimisme. Et, qu’elles soient calmes ou plus fièvreuses, elles portent en elles quelque chose d’ardent, une énergie qui tantôt se maîtrise, tantôt explose. Lui même très investi dans son jeu, il donne une belle leçon de sponténéité et d’imprégnation et nous offre un moment frémissant et hors du temps.

..."

For the lazy English readers who don't want to search for a translation, well, she said she was very impressed by Ben's performance (she is keen on using meaningful adjectiv to express this feeling, but basically, that what she wants you to know : Ben's is impressive and you should know him)

Her post was also put in front of the Café de la Danse's web site