Ben Howard (Live)

I was lucky enough to be among the 2000 (or so) people that crammed themselves into Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, eager to spend a cold, wet Saturday night with Ben Howard and his amazing band. We’d had to wait a while since falling for his amazingly soulful sound but it was absolutely worth it.
The venue was perfect. Even Ben, mentioned how lovely it was. And the gig itself turned out to feel slightly like an out of body experience with the crowd alternating between mesmerised-into-silence and almost-taking-the-roof-off appreciation. There was however, a bit of banter between some songs with (an obviously having a good time) Ben. It turns out that he likes a drink!
Recent album, I Forgot Where We Were is quite a departure from his first and I get the impression that the new, slightly downbeat but incredibly intense songs might have left some fans of his previous work a little confused. Personally, I adore it and hearing it performed live was a real pleasure.
This show was recorded at The Bataclan, Paris on December 1st and it’s the closest thing I can offer you to the real thing. Prepare to be amazed at how good it sounds even when squeezed through the wonder of the interweb…
p.s. I must mention support band Hiss Golden Messenger who were surprisingly enjoyable and looked like they were having as good a time as the crowd!