By Geoffrey Rowlands


You couldn’t imagine meeting a more down to earth pop star than English singer/songwriter Ben Howard. Winner of Best Breakthrough Act and Best Male Solo Artist at the recent BRIT awards, Ben even thanked his mum during his first acceptance speech.
“Not exactly rock and roll was it,” he laughed. “I was amazed to be nominated and certainly didn’t expect to win. My reaction was genuine shock. It was a bit embarrassing afterwards to realise I’d stood up in front of all those stars and recording industry executives and actually thanked my mum for helping me to win the award.”
Embarrassing as it might have been, 25-year-old Ben’s thanks were not misplaced. His parents exposed the young Ben to their favourite singer/songwriters such as Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. They also encouraged his interest in playing guitar and writing songs.
“I was about 10 when I wrote my first song. It was probably the worst song ever written and I’m glad it’s now disappeared somewhere. I bet my mum still has a written copy though. Every so often, she produces something I did as a kid and asks if I remember writing it.
“I always enjoyed putting words to tunes I’d made up. I guess I was quite an imaginative little kid. The early things were songs that only a parent could love but I gradually began to write better material until I eventually realised there was a possibility of actually making my living as a musician.”
He self-released his 2008 five-song debut EP, Games in the Dark.
“I was surprised and delighted that the EP was so popular. It’s now become a collector’s item for the people who enjoy my music.”
The six songs on another EP, 2009’s These Waters, proved equally popular. But it was 2011 before Ben released his third EP, Old Pine.
“I wouldn’t call myself a prolific songwriter. I finish maybe ten or fifteen in a year. Some might be written in a day, others will take months before I’m satisfied with the end product. I also don’t do writing sessions. I let songs come to me rather than sit down and try to write. I figure something will eventually come along that I’ll want to write a song about.”
The quality of Ben’s live performances and his growing fan base led to a deal with Island Records and the recording of his debut album, Every Kingdom.
“Holding the physical copy of my album was an amazing experience. It was really only at this point when it sunk in that I was a full-time musician. I still didn’t think the album would sell so well. I just wanted to get my music out there for people to hear.”
His singles all did reasonably well in Britain but it was record buyers in Belgium and the Netherlands who really took Ben to their hearts.
“I don’t know why my music is so popular in those countries but I’m obviously pleased by their interest and enjoyment of my work.”
A nomination for the 2012 Mercury Prize saw Ben lose out to Alt-J. But any disappointment was far outweighed by the delight of his triumphs at the BRITs.
“I was just amazed to be nominated for the Mercury. Every Kingdom has sold well but didn’t become a massive hit until after my appearance at the BRITs. It’s the same story with my single, Only Love. I have the BRITs to thank for turning it into a UK Top 10 hit.”
With Ben’s profile so much higher after his BRITs success, it might be expected that new material would be rush released.
“No, I’m not doing anything like that. I’m actually going to disappear for a while and get down to recording my second album. I’ll be putting the same kind of passion into creating it as I did for the tracks on Every Kingdom and hope people will enjoy the new songs just as much.”



in
brief

Backing vocalist to the fore
 
India Bourne is one of the backing musicians who record and perform live with Ben Howard. A friend of Ben’s sister Krysia since their childhood in South Devon, India plays a variety of instruments ranging from bass guitar to cello and piano to percussion.
She also performs occasional backing vocals, a useful talent when it came to creating her own songs. In His Arms and Little Sparks, two of the five tracks on her debut EP, These Days of Ours’, are posted at www.myspace.com/indiabourne.
 
Nine Inch Nails rebooted
 
Today sees the release of Welcome Oblivion, the debut album from How To Destroy Angels.
Fans had been expecting a major concert tour in support of the record. But a statement from founder member Trent Reznor reveals an unexpected twist in his activities during 2013. Instead of touring with How To Destroy Angels, he is reactivating his old band, Nine Inch Nails.
Apart from previous collaborators Alessandro Cortini and Ilan Rubin, the band line-up is completely different. Trent will be joined by Adrian Belew of King Crimson, Eric Avery of Jane’s Addiction and Josh Eustis of Telefon Tel Aviv.
“I was working with Adrian Belew on some musical ideas,” Trent announced. “This led to a discussion on performing, a concept of re-thinking what Nine Inch Nails could be and the idea of playing a show. Calls were made to some friends which brought about the new line-up. One show was booked, which led to another and on to a full world tour.”
Trent did not say if the band would record a new album or just perform traditional Nine Inch Nails fan favourites.
 
Out of rehab, into festival
 
Following a lengthy spell in rehab, it is pleasing to reveal Billie Joe Armstrong will be back with Green Day to perform at the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas, on March 15.
Screening of the band’s two documentaries, Broadway Idiot and Quatro, had already been announced as part of the festival schedule. Their concert will hopefully complete a return to health for Billie Joe.

Bowie’s second single released
 
David Bowie is back again with The Stars (Are Out Tonight), the second single taken from his forthcoming new album, The Next Day.
As with his previous single, Where Are We Now?, the new single has been released without fanfare. It is being promoted with a short film directed by Floria Sigismondi in which Bowie appears with Tilda Swinton, Andrej Pejic and Saskia De Brauw.
The film can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH7dMBcg-gE. Links to several more Bowie videos, including a number of live performances, are also posted on this webpage.
 
Singing (or not) for their supper
 
There are mixed messages about rock music holiday cruises.
Fans of Matchbox Twenty have the opportunity to meet and greet the band on a cruise from Miami to the Bahamas beginning on December 6. They can also enjoy a number of performances by Matchbox Twenty and other musical guests.
Although tickets for the cruise aboard Carnival Imagination only recently went on sale, a number of the cabin categories have already sold out. For full details, visit www.matchboxtwentycruise.com.
In contrast, poor ticket sales have led to the cancellation of Alice Cooper’s Ship of Fear cruise. In addition to performances by Alice, the five-day Miami to Bahamas cruise was to have also featured question and answer sessions with actors and directors known for their work on horror movies.