A little smoke before the snowstorm - Benjamin Francis Leftwich Interview
Posted: 13th July 2011
Interview
With his debut album Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm entering the UK Top 40 in its first week of release, 21-year-old Benjamin Francis Leftwich - thankfully known somewhat more simply as Ben - has brought the singer/songwriter, folky/mellow genre once more to the fore. After playing on the hallowed stage at this years Glastonbury, and with Box Of Stones, the albums single release, playing across the airwaves, Allgigs prised the man from his guitar for a few minutes to reflect on where its all starting to go right.
Q: So, Ben, hows it feeling? Given that your two previous EPs were highly praised, did you feel under any pressure to come up with a real big album?
Its going great! It feels good to finally have the album out. Im really proud of the record, and there has been some nice feedback too. I just hope people will enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it.
Q: The title Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm, what does that refer to?
Well, its a reference, sort of, to the moment before everything happens; so you could say, the six months we took in making the record. It wasnt meant to be a direct reference to before I started really touring intensely, just the moment before the rest follows, if that makes sense?
Q: No connection then to having a last cigarette before the snow comes down?
[Laughs]
Q: Are you a smoker?
Eryeah! But the title wasnt a reference to smoking! Its morewell the songs on the album were written over the past three or four years, so it was that long time period.before the snowstorm.
Q: I was going to come on to that. The songs on the album have been around now for a while, are they still representative of you, both as a writer and musically?
Definitely. I chose these ten tracks because I still feel really connected to them, and I can perform them to the best of my ability live. Theyre ten of my favourite songs to play, and as far as Im concerned, ten of the best. Of course, Im changing as a songwriter and developing in different ways, but its not as if Id ever say Oh, those songs are in the past; theyre gone now. Theyre still my songs, and they will always be relevant to me.
Q: Considering that Last Smoke... is a wistful, dreamy album, you do manage to come out with some curious lines here and there. For example, If you crash a car into your best friends house [Pictures] come on, whats that all about, Ben?
[Laughs] Thats a song I wrote when I was about 17, itswell, there were a couple of themes that were consistent through my teenage years
Q: Crashing cars into someones house?
No (laughs), I never did that as such - probably came close a few times though! Its more a reference to stuff going a bit wrong within relationships. Not necessarily romantic relationships, but just a general tension, I guess.
Q: Where do you derive inspiration from? Your songs do rather have that airy feel of nature about them
A couple were written in the south of France - 'Box Of Stones' was one - but although I love being in places like that, by the sea, in the country, I wouldnt say they inspire me in terms of a lyrical point of view. But they do definitely allow me the space - and the metaphor - to be able to convey a message in my songs.
Q: Yet you recorded the album in London, which couldnt be further away from peace and tranquillity.
Yeah, its an amazing old church conversion up in Finsbury Park. It was a really mellow and chilled place to work. It didnt feel like being in busy, hectic London at all. We just locked ourselves away and got on with it.
Q: Was it a long recording process?
I think in total it was about six to eight weeks last year. We werent in the studio every day, so it was over a course of around six months. We kept coming back and working on it, changing things here and there, having different ideas. It was a really positive process and a nice place to record. That was something that was important to me as I didnt want to be in a sort of shiny studio with the clock ticking away every day. We wanted to approach it in our own way to get the best results, which I think we did.
Q: You took on Ian Grimble [producer of Mumford & Sons, manic Street Preachers] for production, how did that come about are you a Mumfords fan?
Im not particularly a fan of Mumford & Sons, but my manager knew Ian from his work with another band. They met up and discussed things, the ideas I had for the record and what he envisaged the sound as being. Then we got together and started recording. It was a bit slow at first, but then it started coming together nicely. It was a really natural choice, having Ian in. He was amazing and I definitely want to work with him again. For me he is one of the true, real record producers out there.
Q: The female backing vocalist on the record, namely Hayley Hutchinson, was she someone you already knew?
Yeah. Wed played a lot of the same shows in York and knew a lot of the same people. One day we just got chatting and have been friends for a long time now. I am a huge fan of her voice, and of her own songs, so it was a real honour to have her come down and sing on a few songs on the record. Her voice works really well too.
Q: Going back to your early days, I believe you started writing at quite a young age - 14 or 15? Did you always have it set in your mind to become a musician?
Ive always loved music and listening to it, but that was as far as it went. As I started listening in more detail to the records that I love, like Bruce Springsteen, a lot of the Beatles songs, Ryan Adams, when I got to the age of about 16 it then became like This is what Im gonna do. And that was it: it became the only thing I put effort into.
Q: Did you start to play guitar at that same time?
No, I first picked up a guitar when I was about ten. I had a couple of lessons, but I got a bit disillusioned with it and quit for a few years. Then when I was 14 or so, took up with an acoustic guitar and just taught myself to play from there.
Q: I presume you started off playing small local gigs in York?
Yeah. I started doing a lot of shows at different venues around town, then put some stuff up on MySpace; sent out a few emails to managers and labels. Jamie [of Dirty Hit Records, also home to Little Comets] had been a big supporter of mine since day one and someone I really trusted, so when he started the label and called me and said they wanted to put my stuff out, I was like Of course!. Its the perfect label for me. I had had a couple of bad experiences working with bigger labels before, and what I found from that was that that world is not for me.
Q: Its been quite a year for you so far - the album, playing Glastonbury, the UK tour upcoming in October.
Playing Glastonbury was amazing! It was my first time there ever. While I was playing on the Acoustic Stage on the Saturday, I was just there thinking to myself How did this happen?! I played a couple of shows there and had a generally really good response. Hopefully Ill get to go back in two years time. The October tour, well I consider it my second big tour. I did one before that was about 16 dates, but this one is quite big in terms of both length and some of the venues that Im playing.
Q: Do you feel any more pressure on you for this tour, now that with the album out and airplay of Box Of Stones more people will have heard of you?
Erm, I dont really feel pressure as such. I love playing live so I am just going to go out and do my thing as I usually do.
Q: I recall your saying that you dont have too much trouble with people talking during your set - something I know is the bane of many artists live performances.
No - to be honest, Ive been lucky that at a lot of my shows the audiences have been really quiet. At festivals, well, of course no-ones going to be quiet, but I am not going to take it personally if some people are chatting. If youre playing to 300 people though, and 298 are pin-drop silent and two are talking, thats kind of different! But I am not the type of person whos ever going to say anything to anyone about it. The vibes always different at every show. Thats the exciting thing about it. If it was always the same itd be kind of boring
Q: Youve mentioned the likes of Ryan Adams as an influence, but youve also covered Springsteens Bottle Baby, so is there a little bit of a rocker inside you as well?
Yeah, I like all different types of music. I love rock, rap, some metal
Q: Metal? That may surprise some of your fans!
Yeah. [Laughs]. For me, its just about good songs; its not a weird thing. At the moment Im listening to a lot of Arcade Fire, The National and of course, lots of Springsteen.
Q: You come over as quite a relaxed, chilled type of person, would that be an accurate description, or are you a bit more frantic on the inside?
Id say I am pretty chilled, yeah. I love playing music, writing music going to see live music. I think sometimes people expect really deep, weird answers from me, but I cant really give them! I always have music around, and love just hanging out with my friends and girlfriend, and doing what most 21-year-old guys do: having fun, playing XBox and going to the pub! [Laughs]
Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm is out now on Dirty Hit Records.
Alex Litton