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Howard is something of a melting pot of the two defining trends of the late 2000’s. He’s a folk-rock singer songwriter first and foremost, his debut E.P “Games In The Dark” released in 2008. Fittingly, it was self-released the very same year as Mumford and Sons’ first E.P, this finds him among good company, squarely in the second and most commercially successful wave of British folk artists along with the aforementioned Mumfords and Johnny Flynn
The second trend he embodies is the fact that, at least when he began attracting mainstream attention, he was annoyingly young. His debut E.P was released when he was 21 years of age and his first album, 2011’s “Every Kingdom”, came out when he was 24.
However, unlike many songwriters with youth on their side, Howard never writes with a co-writer, the vast majority of his songs are credited to him and only him, which makes sense considering he’s been constantly writing since he was eleven years old.
Howard has since gone from strength to strength; taking time and effort to craft 2014’s follow up effort “I Forget Where We Were” and was rewarded with said album going straight to number one on the album charts.
It might seem odd that his brand of dark, intelligent folk became the kind of chart smashing success that helped him sell out three nights at Brixton Academy in November 2012, but sometimes the music industry rewards those that truly deserve it. So it goes that Ben Howard is one of the biggest success stories in British music, and I would implore you to be a part of it as well.
Devon's folk-pop baby, Ben Howard, has been managed to ride the coattails of his debut LP Every Kingdom since its release in 2011. Make no mistake, he deserves every morsel of success that has been shot his way, but given how monumentally well-received (both critically and commercially) it has been, he's been supporting on the road ever since. He's scarcely had time to work on a new record. This has, serendipitously, offered him the opportunity to hone his performance skills so that every set is slickly delivered and well-oiled – you'd think he'd have lost his raw edge by now, but his renditions are just as serrated as they've ever been. He's an expert at mesmerising festival crowds with his gutsy renditions of “Old Pine”, “Only Love”, “Keep Your Head Up”, “The Wolves” and “Black Flies”. Accompanied by a cellist and a full band, Howard's able to concentrate on sculpting gorgeous melodic ambrosia. His deft fingering, flamin' fretwork and firework-crackle voice carry weighty hooks, a kind of sensational gravity that only comes from truly special music. There's a semi-reverence to his shows as he serenades the oodles of fans; awestruck silence is a common gap-filler at Howard's shows. When he leads a shivering version of “Keep Your Head Up” however, anyone and everyone goes utterly wild. The term 'anthem' is bandied around a lot nowadays, but almost every bolt Howard fires is easily described as one.
larryday
When Kate Stables decided to put together a band back in 2003, they named it This Is The Kit, and started to make beautiful alternative folk rock music. What is unique about the band is that sometimes it is a duo, and other times a quintet. It is dependably Kate Stables on vocals, banjo or guitar, and Jesse Vernon on bass, guitar or violin. Other times they are joined by Rozi Plain or the Liftmen (Neil Smith and Philip Sirop).
The Bristol based band plays smaller, more intimate venues, which are ideal for the type of music that they produce. The small venue adds to the homeliness that you get not just from the music, but from their look as well. The particular show that I was able to watch, Stables and Vernon were joined by drummer Jamie Whitby-Coles (who was introduced by the very sweet and soft-spoken Stables). Their live show really is best enjoyed during the wintertime with a hot cup of tea; because you absolutely fall into a place of peacefulness. To top that, the personality types are so timid, yet passionate when they perform. The chemistry that they have with each other, as well as with the audience is indescribable.
Ellinoinsta
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