P
As a regular listener and advocate of Michael Park’s The
International Americana Music Show, there is no finer way to explore
continental music that is infused with definable twang and heavily influenced
by the reams of iconic roots music to emanate from the States. Sweden’s Ben
Folke Thomas has been one such artist to be featured and his style of
alt-country rock compactly fits within the ideals of the Americana genre. In
support of his second record due out in May, Ben and his fellow Scandinavian
band members are embarking on a wealth of UK dates and on the evidence of this
Birmingham show, folks are going to be well enamoured with his bold vocal
delivery, driving rhythms and engaging songs.
Ben is far from new to the UK scene, adopting almost Anglo status during his lengthy periods of residence, but the challenge has to be to expand out of the London scene and bang on the doors of provincial music nuts. This evening’s show at the Hare and Hounds did just that and those present were served a luscious portion of Ben’s ability to front a tight knit sound with panache, class and a touch of dry humour.
As a regular listener and advocate of Michael Park’s The
International Americana Music Show, there is no finer way to explore
continental music that is infused with definable twang and heavily influenced
by the reams of iconic roots music to emanate from the States. Sweden’s Ben
Folke Thomas has been one such artist to be featured and his style of
alt-country rock compactly fits within the ideals of the Americana genre. In
support of his second record due out in May, Ben and his fellow Scandinavian
band members are embarking on a wealth of UK dates and on the evidence of this
Birmingham show, folks are going to be well enamoured with his bold vocal
delivery, driving rhythms and engaging songs.Ben is far from new to the UK scene, adopting almost Anglo status during his lengthy periods of residence, but the challenge has to be to expand out of the London scene and bang on the doors of provincial music nuts. This evening’s show at the Hare and Hounds did just that and those present were served a luscious portion of Ben’s ability to front a tight knit sound with panache, class and a touch of dry humour.
Apart from the sheer consistency of quality within the songs
spanning his two albums, Ben’s band introductions made for one of those golden
gig moments to lighten the intensity. The visual nature of the humour means you
will have to attend one of Ben’s shows to fully appreciate it, so in a more
conventional way we shall just commend the playing skills of Henning Sernhede
(many guitars), Johannes Mattsson (bass) and Jonas Abrahamsson (drums).
Most of the songs from the new album ROGUE STATE OF MIND
were featured in the set and made that instant impact when you feel a record is
going to be a firm favourite. ‘Futile Blues’,
‘Broke Down Train’ and ‘Dream About
You’ led the tracks from this new record with the most prominent first
impression. By paying respect to his other album TOO CLOSE TO HEAR, Ben lifted
two equally impressive numbers in ‘Love
Somebody’ and the seemingly popular ‘Blues
for You’.
While the band’s presence added real value, there was the
usual solo slot which Ben used effectively to deliver ‘Married’ and he needed very little effort in extracting audience
participation for the chorus of ‘Sex
Addict’. The acoustic solo stance was extended to the final song of the
evening when Ben kicked off a tribute to one of his song writing heroes,
Warren Zevon, with an on stage version of ‘Don’t
Let Us Get Sick’ before finishing it unplugged, sitting in the audience and
conducting a departing sing along. Prior to this, the band had signed off for the
evening with another Zevon song, this time a rocking version of ‘Play it All Night Long’.
The opening slot for this gig was afforded to ahab band
member Dave Burn who used the thirty minute set to share songs, both old and
new, accompanied by a multiple exchange of guitars. From his new solo EP, ‘Vans’ and ‘The Killer’ were enthusiastically received and enjoyed, while an
older song from Ahab, ‘My Father’s Eyes’, was without doubt the most fetching number played.
2015 is shaping up positively for Benjamin Folke Thomas, with a national radio session lined up, numerous headline dates mingled alongside support
slots for Beans on Toast and a handful of festival appearances, most relevant in
these quarters a debut at Maverick in July. This first opportunity to catch Ben
live and devote further time to his recorded material has been a worthy
exercise. Quite rightfully, the move from the fringes into the spotlight is in
motion.