Benjamin Howarth - Live Reviews
Press Club
Ben Howarth at the New Cross Inn in London enjoys an emotionally intense set to promote their second album 'Wasted Energy' from rising Melbourne punk band Press Club.
Ash
Ben Howarth winds back the years to the mid-1990s as he watches Ash play a Greatest Hits set at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London
Craig Finn
Ben Howarth watches Craig Finn, more used to playing with a booming rock band behind him, perform an intimate solo set in front of an enthralled crowd in the basement room of London’s Slaughtered Lamb pub
Nils Lofgren
Ben Howarth watches E Street Band multi-instrumentalist Nils Lofgren play a magical masterclass from his extraordinary back catalogue of own material at the Union Chapel in London
Rotifer
In the second of two showcases from record label and collective Gare du Nord, Ben Howarth at the Servant Jazz Quarters in London enjoys sets from indie trio Rotifer, rediscovered 70's singer-songwriter John Howard and Austrian singer-songwriter Mel Mayr who was playing her first British gig
Joel Gion
Ben Howarth watches Brian Jonestown Massacre member Joel Gion play an erratic set at the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen in London
Dodgy
Ben Howarth watches reformed 90's pop outfit Dodgy play a exuberant Halloween show in the unusual location of Under the Bridge in London
Arbouretum
Ben Howarth enjoys Baltimore trio Arbouretum's mix of country, blues and psychedelica at a gig at the Corsica Studios in London
Lambchop
Ben Howarth enjoys Lambchop's familiar, yet subtle-sounding brand of country porch songs at a show at the Barbican in London
Roddy Woomble
Ben Howarth finds Idlewild singer and now solo artist Roddy Woomble embracing the sounds of traditional British folk music and also paying tribute to his old group in a show at the Scala in London
Gomez
Mercury Music Prize winners Gomez have always been more out than in fashion, but Ben Howarth watches them play a near perfect set to promote their new album 'Whatever's On Your Mind' at the Roundhouse in London
Ani Di Franco
At Shepherd's Bush Empire, Ben Howarth enjoys a night of spiky politics and first rate songwriting from the still critically underacknowledged Ani DiFranco
Anais Mitchell
Ben Howarth at the Union Chapel in London watches American singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell, with an extensive set of guest musicians including both Thea Gilmore and Jackie Leven, reenact her concept album, 'Hadestown', to standing ovation and hypnotic effect
Darren Hayman
Despite the former Hefner frontman's claim that he had gone off playing gigs after being attacked in the street after a show in Nottingham earlier this year, Ben Howarth watches Darren Hayman play five very different shows over a month in his native London
Anais Mitchell
On the first night of a three night residency, Ben Howarth watches Anais Mitchell play a triumphant set to promote her much acclaimed 'Hadestown' at the 12 Bar Club in Londdon
Villagers
At the Deaf Institute in Manchester at a show to promote their just released debut album, Dixie Ernill is thrilled by Irish five-piece Villagers' unassuming, but quietly confident and delightful pop rock
Anais Mitchell
At the London Luminaire Ben Howarth sees Anais Mitchell and her label mate at Ana di Franco's Righteous Babe label Erin McKeown play an exuberant acoustic set to promote Mitcherll's forthcoming folk opera, 'Hadestown'
Idlewild
Ben Howarth watches Scottish rockers Idlewild play a set of both their better known songs and rarities a sold out show at the Electric Ballroon in London
Willard Grant Conspiracy
In an evening fraught with difficulties and distractions, Ben Howarth at the Garage in London watches Robert Fisher's Willard Grant Conspiracy, against the odds and a heavily reduced stage time, play a riveting and forceful set
Miscellaneous
The Field Day is one-day music festival band for indie groups who wouldn't quite fit on the bill at Glastonbury or Reading. Ben Howarth watches sets among others from Fanfarlo, the Temper Trap, Juana Molina and Four Tet, but finds Malian musician, Toumani Diabate, having the greatest personal impact