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February 8, 2024February 8, 2024

Benjamin Francis Leftwich releases his most emotional, spiritual album tomorrow. Leeds and York concerts to follow

*Seeking the light: York singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich. Picture: Harry Pearson*

YORK singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich will play a home-city concert this summer, but make sure to arrive early.

He will be opening Futuresound’s 5pm triple bill at York Museum Gardens on July 18 as the first of two special guests for headlining Scottish-Italian singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti, with Irish blues and folk musician Foy Vance as the other.

First comes tomorrow’s release of his fifth studio album in 13 years, Some Things Break, the follow-up to 2021’s To Carry A Whale as Ben continues a fruitful partnership with Dirty Hit Records, the label that made him its first signing in 2011 at the age of 21.

“Given the way the music industry is shaping up, maybe I’ll release albums more regularly than I do now, but I’ll just release them when I’m proud of something, though I definitely need guidance to say, ‘time to go, it’s ready’,” he says.

“In this case, we wrote about 20 to 30 songs, done at different stages. Some artists will just write ten songs and release them all on a record, but for me, I need to make mistakes along the way, try things out, and the more I write, the clearer my goal is.”

He kept Dirty Hit in the loop all the way, as the recordings progressed with Grammy Award-winning producer Jimmy Hogarth and the album became more focused.

*The cover artwork for Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s new album, Some Things Break, out tomorrow on Dirty Hit Records*

When judging a song, “my fear has got less thanks to God over the last few years,” says Ben. “But I’m not immune to needing friends, people who aren’t in the industry, to say what they think, feeding off their energy, because they’re less invested in the music industry politics. Ultimately, I want a song to be in everyone’s heart.”

Some Things Break was composed over two years, at locations across the globe, from Ben’s adopted home of Tottenham, London, to Nashville, Washington to Stockholm.

The recording sessions found him collaborating with fellow songwriters Mikky Ekko, The 1975’s Jamie Squire and Jon Green for an album with a broader range, both musically and vocally, combining his acoustic guitar at times with piano, choirs, drumbeats and effects in a layered soundscape.

“I do think these are the most emotional, spiritual songs I’ve done, where I thought I’d sing them in a higher range, but actually the voice has gone down – a bit of crooning! – and it’s nice to have those two voices,” says Ben, 34.

“The song always guides me, especially at the point of the vocal delivery or the choice of key. My thing is ‘whatever is best for the song’, if a friend is way better at playing the piano or Jimmy being better for a guitar part.

“Just by sheer chance, I did all the first album [2011’s Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm] in York, but now I have access to musicians all over. It’s been a long, long journey, starting 15 years ago, but I now feel God puts people in my path and I’ve got so lucky that people come my way.”

*“I keep my head in the clouds but my feet on the ground,” says Benjamin Francis Leftwich. Picture: Harry Pearson*

Take The 1975’s Jamie Squire, for example. “I had a message 12 years ago from Jamie saying ‘I’m a friend of Matt Healy [The 1975’s lead singer]…I really love your music,” Ben recalls. “I invited him to work with me, and he’s one of the best musicians I’ve ever met.”

Latterly Ben and Jamie have been working in London with Scottish singer-songwriter Katie Gregson-MacLeod, and Ben will link up with The 1975 pianist Jamie for his eight-date spring tour in support of the new album, opening at Leeds Brudenell Social Club on April 4.

Ben’s songwriting wanderlust took him to Nashville twice last year for three weeks each in April and October. “That’s where I met Mikky Ekko – best known for writing that beautiful song Stay, the Rihanna hit – and we wrote the most explicit song I’ve ever done, about my father [the late University of York politics lecturer Adrian Leftwich].

“I love writing songs that move people, and I was lost for so long that I feel like I’m almost making up for the time that I wasted. My diary is busy, busier than ever. I’m so lucky. I keep my head in the clouds but my feet on the ground.”

Tickets for April 4 at Leeds Brudenell Social Club: www.benjaminfrancisleftwich.com

Tickets for July 18 at York Museum Gardens: https://futuresound.seetickets.com/event/jack-savoretti/york-museum-gardens/2929799

Copyright of The Press, York

February 2, 2024February 2, 2024

First, Shed Seven two-nighter, now Jack Savoretti confirmed for July 18 at Museum Gardens. Fourth gig to be announced soon

*Jack Savoretti: First York appearance since 2017*. *Picture: Supplied*

JACK Savoretti is to headline July 18’s triple bill at York Museum Gardens with support from special guests Foy Vance and York singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich.

General ticket sales open at 9am this morning at https://futuresound.seetickets.com/event/jack-savoretti/york-museum-gardens/2929799.

London-born acoustic singer-songwriter Savoretti, 40, has released seven studio albums and one compilation, Songs From Different Times, since 2007.

Savoretti, whose exotic full name is Giovanni Edgar Charles Galletto-Savoretti, previously played York in an intimate gig at Fibbers on July 16 2017, when promoter Mr H, alias legendary York club boss Tim Hornsby, enthused: “He’s a class act, a modern-day troubadour, a thrilling performer, a giant.

“Our hero may have started as a lonely acoustic troubadour, relying on not much more than his songs and that careworn growl, but we’re now witnessing a gorgeous widescreen sweep, drawing on a rich Italian heritage, with Morricone-like flourishes and battlefield last stands.”

*Storytelling Bangor bluesman Foy Vance*

Such sentiments still stand, rubber-stamped by the chart accolade of Savoretti hitting number one with his past two studio albums, March 2019’s Singing To Strangers, recorded at Ennio Morricone’s studio in Rome, and June 2021’s Europiana, conceived in lockdowns at Jack’s Oxfordshire home. A deluxe edition, Europiana Encore, followed in 2022.

In an Instagram post last November, Savoretti revealed he was “in the studio, where we are putting the final touches to the new album”.

The title and release date details are yet to be announced but CharlesHutchPress’s early request for an interview elicited this response from Chelsea Bakewell, marketing manager for concert promoters Futuresound: “Jack’s team mentioned they are pausing on interview until the album is out so this isn’t something which can be facilitated at this moment in time I’m afraid.” Watch this space!

Northern Irish storytelling bluesman, survivor, rocker and folk hero Foy Vance, 49, will be returning to York for the first time since headlining York Barbican on his Signs Of Life tour in August 2022.

Now living in Tottenham, London, York singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich, 34, will release his fifth studio album, Some Things Break, next Friday on Dirty Hit Records, his regular home since becoming the label’s first signing at the age of 21 in 2011.

Composed over the past two years at locations across the globe, from London to Nashville, Washington to Stockholm, Some Things Break was produced by Grammy Award-winning Jimmy Hogarth and features collaborations with fellow songwriters Mikky Ekko, Jamie Squire and Jon Green.

*Benjamin Francis Leftwich: New album to be released on February 9. Picture: Harry Pearson*

The track listing will be: I’m Always Saying Sorry; Moon Landing Hoax; Break In The Weather; New York; Some Things Break; Spokane, Washington; God’s Best; A Love Like That; Only You and Don’t Give Up on The Light.

“Learning to hold onto certain things and let go of others, with as much grace as possible, I feel like I’m hiding less on this record,” says Leftwich. “Ultimately, I think it’s a record about a kind of slow acceptance that some things break and, for me, sometimes that’s necessary for healing.”

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Leftwich will open his eight-date spring tour at Leeds Brudenell Social Club on April 4, where he will be accompanied by The 1975’s Jamie Squire on piano. For tickets, head to: www.benjaminfrancisleftwich.com

Leftwich has played myriad concerts in York over the past 15 years, none more contrasting than an exclusive, intimate album launch gig for Gratitude at the 50-capacity FortyFive Vinyl Café, Micklegate, on March 15 2019, followed only a fortnight later by York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe.

Savoretti’s concert will be part of a four-night run of Futuresound promotions at York Museum Gardens. York’s revitalised Britpop survivors, Shed Seven, will ride in on a crest of a wave for sold-out 30^th anniversary gigs on July 19 and 20, with The Libertines’ Peter Doherty in support, after topping the album charts for the first time with A Matter Of Time on January 12.

The fourth concert will be announced soon.

*The poster for Jack Savoretti’s July 18 concert at York Museum Gardens*

December 22, 2023February 7, 2024

Benjamin Francis Leftwich to release Some Things Break album in February and open April tour at Leeds Brudenell Social Club

*Benjamin Francis Leftwich: New album, richer sound*, *candid lyrics*. *Picture: Harry Pearson*

YORK singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich will embark on an eight-date headline tour next spring, opening at Leeds Brudenell Social Club on April 4, in support of his new album.

Set for release on February 9 on his regular label since becoming Dirty Hit Records’ first signing, Some Things Break follows 2021’s To Carry A Whale, 2019’s Gratitude, 2016’s After The Rain and 2011’s Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm.

All written and performed by London-based Benjamin, the track listing will be: I’m Always Saying Sorry; Moon Landing Hoax; Break In The Weather; New York; Some Things Break; Spokane, Washington; God’s Best; A Love Like That; Only You and Don’t Give Up On The Light.

*The cover artwork for Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s fifth album, Some Things Break, out on February 9 2024*

Composed over the past two years at locations across the globe, from London to Nashville, Washington to Stockholm, Some Things Break was produced by Grammy Award-winning Jimmy Hogarth, who can name Amy Winehouse, Sia and Antony And The Johnsons among his production clients.

Some Things Break also features collaborations with fellow songwriters Mikky Ekko, The 1975’s Jamie Squire and Jon Green and reveals a broader range in Benjamin’s voice, while calling on richer instrumentation by comparison with the more stripped-back sound of his earlier work.

His acoustic guitar remains present throughout, but at times is backed with piano, choirs, drumbeats and effects that create a dense and layered soundscape for his vocal candour and vulnerability.

*“It’s a record about a kind of slow acceptance that some things break and, for me, sometimes that’s necessary for healing,” says Benjamin. Picture: Harry Pearson*

Reflecting on this new direction, with its subtle reinvention in his sound and honesty laid bare in his lyrics, 34-year-old Benjamin says: “It feels like a new voice, in a way. I guess a more human and perhaps a more surrendered voice.

“Learning to hold onto certain things and let go of others, with as much grace as possible, I feel like I’m hiding less on this record. Ultimately, I think it’s a record about a kind of slow acceptance that some things break and, for me, sometimes that’s necessary for healing.”

Some Things Break is preceded by the single Moon Landing Hoax, out now with a live video Landing directed by Harvey Pearson and starring Jamie Squire performing alongside Benjamin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCG83YjC15U).

*“It feels like a new voice, in a way. I guess a more human and perhaps a more surrendered voice,” says Benjamin. Picture: Harry Pearson*

“To me this song is about healing, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, and about all the mad sh*t one can get up to or into on that winding road,” says Benjamin. “I’m so excited to be back on the road next year and to play many new and old songs live again.”

His fellow York musician, The Howl & The Hum bassist and keyboards player Bradley Blackwell, was overheard at the close of the third and final night of the original line-up’s farewell Crescent shows this week that he would be working with Benjamin on the tour. Watch this space.

As ever, Benjamin will be giving his material a fresh perspective when adapting both seasoned fan favourites and songs from Some Things Break in an intimate setting in his shows at Leeds Brudenell Social Club on April 4; Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, April 5; Summerhall, Edinburgh, April 6; Band On The Wall, Manchester, April 8; Lantern, Bristol, April 9; Earth Theatre, London; Acapela Studio, Cardiff, April 11, and Workman’s Club, Dublin, April 13. Tour tickets are on sale from www.benjaminfrancisleftwich.com

*The poster for Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s April 2024 tour*

Did you know?

BENJAMIN Francis Leftwich’s songwriting, co-writing and collaborations with other artists have grown over the past few years, writing with The 1975, Nick Mulvey, CMAT (Irish singer-songwriter Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson), Holly Humberstone and Rachel Chinouriri.

Did you know too?

BENJAMIN was the first act to be signed by Dirty Hit Records, to be followed by The 1975, Wolf Alice, Beabadoobee, Pale Waves and Bleachers. Debut album Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm reached number 35 in the UK charts in July 2011.

August 20, 2022August 20, 2022

More Things To Do in York and beyond in the rave new world of bingo and festivals à gogo. List No. 96, courtesy of The Press

*Wynne Evans: Vocal power amid the Pomp and Circumstance at tonight’s Castle Howard Proms*

FROM Proms fireworks to rave bingo, prog-rock veterans to village-green art, Charles Hutchinson seeks variety for the diary.

Pomp and circumstance concert of the week: Castle Howard Proms, Castle Howard, near York, this evening; gates open at 5pm

OPERA star, insurance advert institution beyond compare and BBC Radio Wales presenter Wynne Evans returns to the Castle Howard Proms this weekend.

West End singer Marisha Wallace will be his fellow soloist at tonight’s classical concert, where the London Gala Orchestra will be conducted by Stephen Bell. Expect picnics, Prom classics, songs from the musicals, flag-waving favourites, a Spitfire flyover, laser displays and a firework finale. Box office: lphconcertsandevents.co.uk/events/castle-howard-proms-2022.

*Life of Bryan: Roxy Magic pay tribute to the Ferry man*

Tribute show of the week: Roxy Magic, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tonight, 7.30pm

AHEAD of reunited art-rock legends Roxy Music playing Glasgow, Manchester and London in October on their 50th anniversary tour, here comes Roxy Magic’s tribute in York.

Led by Bryan Ferry doppelganger Kevin Hackett since 2004, the show lovingly recreates four decades of Roxy music, from art-school retro-futurism, to classic standards via sophisticated, adult-oriented rock. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

*Abba Symphonic: All the hits, with a bigger band, at Castle Howard*

Does your mother know this is happening? Abba Symphonic, Castle Howard, near York, Sunday; gates open at 5pm

ROB Fowler and Sharon Sexton will be among the star performers from the West End production of Mamma Mia! at Sunday’s Abba Symphonic concert.

They will be backed by a full rock band, together with the Heart of England Orchestra, in a greatest hits concert conducted by Grammy Award winner Steve Sidwell. Irish singer-songwriter, performer, raconteur Jack Lukeman will be the support act. Again, take a picnic. Box office: lphconcertsandevents.co.uk/events/abba-symphonic-castle-howard/.

*Sam Lee: Not-so-ordinary folk amid the chamber music programme at Welburn Manor. Picture: Andre Pattenden*

Folk event of the week: Sam Lee, Songlines, at North York Moors Chamber Music Festival, Welburn Manor marquee, near Kirkbymoorside, Monday, 7pm

FOLK pioneer Sam Lee brings a new perspective to this summer’s North York Moors Chamber Music Festival when performing his Songlines set on Monday.

The festival is built around world-class classical musicians, performing repertoire on the theme of Soundscapes. This year, however, singer, song collector and conservationist Lee and his band will be broadening the focus after he met festival director Jamie Walton at the new Ayriel Studios, in Westerdale, near Whitby, late last year. Box office: 07722 038990 or northyorkmoorsfestival.com.

*Spot the difference: The 1975 replace Rage Against The Machine as Leeds Festival headliners. Picture: Samuel Bradley*

Last big gathering of the summer: Leeds Festival, Bramham Park, near Wetherby, August 26 to 28

OUT go Friday’s American headliners Rage Against The Machine (leg injury to frontman Zack de la Rocha), Italy’s 2021 Eurovision winners, Maneskin, and American rapper Jack Harlow (both preferring to play at MTV’s Video Music Awards ceremony in America instead). In come English indie combo The 1975, for their first gig in two years, and pop star Charli XCX on Friday and London rapper AJ Tracey on the Sunday.

Friday offers Halsey, Run The Jewels and Bastille; Saturday, Dave, Megan Thee Stallion, Little Simz, Glass Animals and Joy Crookes; Sunday, Arctic Monkeys, Bring Me Horizons, Wolf Alice and Fontaines DC. Box office: leedsfestival.com.

*Re-building Colosseum: Prog-rockers parade their latest line-up at The Crescent*

Re-formed legends of the week: Colosseum, The Crescent, York, August 27; doors, 7.30pm

PROG rock giants Colosseum have reunited, fronted by legendary lead singer Chris “Out Of Time” Farlowe, who is joined by fellow long-time members Clem Clempson, on lead guitar, and Mark Clarke, on bass and vocals.

In the line-up too will be new recruits Nick Steed, keyboards, Kim Nishikawara, saxophones, and Malcolm Mortimore, drums, in a gig staged by TV’s Over, York promoters with a flair for the retro.

Colosseum date back to, if not Roman times, but still long-ago 1969, when debut album Those Who Are About To Die Salute You established their compound of rock, jazz and classical music. Box office: thecrescent.com.

*Taking shape: Making pots at Fangfest in Fangfoss*

Art, not Dracula: Fangfest, Fangfoss Festival of Practical Arts, Fangfoss, near Pocklington, September 3 and 4, 10am to 4pm

MORE than 20 jewellery designers, potters, glass artists, sculptors, felters, handbag makers, painters, photographers, illustrators, printmakers, candle makers, willow weavers and wood carvers are taking part in Fangfest on its return after a pandemic-enforced two-year hiatus.

Look out too for Forest Craft and Play’s drop-in craft activities; acoustic musicians; archery; classic cars; a scarecrow trail and the St Martin’s Church flower festival with the theme of Our Queen. Admission to this outdoor event is free.

*John Bramwell: Heading to Ellerton Priory next month. Picture: Ian Percival*

If you book for one low-key gig, make it: John Bramwell, Ellerton Priory, near York, September 24; doors, 7pm

FROM the team behind shows by Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys and The Beta Band’s Steve Mason in Stockton on the Forest Village Hall comes a “super-intimate” gig by I Am Kloot’s John Bramwell.

Ellerton Priory, should you be wondering, is the Parish Church of St Mary, a beautiful, small, 16th century church in the East Riding village of Ellerton, between York, Selby and Pocklington. Tickets are on sale via thecrescentyork.com.

*Rave on! Welcome to the new age of bingo in Bongo’s Bingo at York Barbican*

House music with a difference: Bongo’s Bingo, York Barbican, October 8; doors, 6pm; last entry, 7:30pm; first game of bingo, 8pm

MAKING its York debut this autumn in the shadow of the demolished Mecca Bingo, Bongo’s Bingo “rejuvenates a quintessentially quaint British pastime with an immersive live show featuring rave rounds, nostalgia-soaked revelry, dance-offs, audience participation and crazy prizes in a night of pure and unadulterated escapism”.

Looking for a full house, promoter Jonny Bongo says: “We’ve been waiting to come to York for a long time, so this is really special for us. We’ve heard the locals are really up for a party, so this is going to be a lot of fun.”

Magic and music, mischief and mayhem combine in this bingo rave experience. Box office: bongosbingo.co.uk.