Ever been to a gig of someone you've never listened to, with no expectations, then been completely spell bound, so you get spine tingles, hairs standing on end and goosebumps? Ben Howard's gorgeous acoustic poetry has that power, as I witnessed after seeing him live.
Born in Middelsex, London, Ben moved to the South Coast city of Falmouth, Devon, in his teens where he developed his surfing talent as well as phenomenal musical ability. Sponsored by Quiksilver, he's performed his beautiful tunes at contests and festivals across Europe - and is now hitting the road again to support Xavier Rudd in February.
Timeless and introspective, his pure sound draws on acoustic legends like Joni Mitchell and John Martyn, but also embraces modern folk singers like Iron and Wine, (my personal favourite) Ani DiFranco, Willy Mason, Ray LaMontague, Jose Gonzales, Scott Matthews and even a little early Devendra Banhart or the technical genius guitar skills of Kaki King.
With cellos, drums, and female guest vocals added on occasion, Ben's music is raw heartfelt emotion captured in gorgeous melancholy-tinged melodies. Even more incredible live, with a very down-to-earth, cheeky persona on-stage, you can't help but fall in love with him.
