Ben McKelvey
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea
11th March 2017
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea
11th March 2017
“I’m here to warm you up!” Ben McKelvey announces, with a cheeky smile, as he greets the Cliffs Pavilion audience who are here to see eighties legends, Mike and the Mechanics.
It’s never an easy task being the support act but Ben has a charisma and endearing quality which instantly gets the audience on his side. Of course, the fact that he’s an Essex boy probably helps and the fact that he was obviously thrilled to be in Southend, with his girlfriend and parents in the house adding extra impetus to this homecoming gig for him.
With just a guitar as accompaniment, Ben took us through a selection of his self-penned songs, kicking off with the catchy, ‘Morning I’m Gone’. His lyrics, which mostly document his take on love and life, are sung in a style that at first puts you in mind of Billy Bragg but possibly with influential nods to Paul Weller. It’s probably unfair to make comparisons, as Ben clearly has his own agenda and an approach of writing which has led him to perform all over the world with his own band, Fluid Lines, (now no longer together) but also having supported some pretty big names such as Wet Wet Wet and The Overtones over the years.
In fact, Ben has been performing since he was just 14 years old and at times, he tells us, often felt like giving it all up when he didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. However, inspired by his parents’ advice to “just go out there and get songwriting,” Ben did just that by writing, ‘You’re Only Here Once’ a great empowering song to finish his set on and undoubtedly leaving the Cliffs Pavilion audience more than a little warmed up not just for the main act but also for more from Ben!
It’s never an easy task being the support act but Ben has a charisma and endearing quality which instantly gets the audience on his side. Of course, the fact that he’s an Essex boy probably helps and the fact that he was obviously thrilled to be in Southend, with his girlfriend and parents in the house adding extra impetus to this homecoming gig for him.
With just a guitar as accompaniment, Ben took us through a selection of his self-penned songs, kicking off with the catchy, ‘Morning I’m Gone’. His lyrics, which mostly document his take on love and life, are sung in a style that at first puts you in mind of Billy Bragg but possibly with influential nods to Paul Weller. It’s probably unfair to make comparisons, as Ben clearly has his own agenda and an approach of writing which has led him to perform all over the world with his own band, Fluid Lines, (now no longer together) but also having supported some pretty big names such as Wet Wet Wet and The Overtones over the years.
In fact, Ben has been performing since he was just 14 years old and at times, he tells us, often felt like giving it all up when he didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. However, inspired by his parents’ advice to “just go out there and get songwriting,” Ben did just that by writing, ‘You’re Only Here Once’ a great empowering song to finish his set on and undoubtedly leaving the Cliffs Pavilion audience more than a little warmed up not just for the main act but also for more from Ben!
Ben's new single, ‘Only Here Once’ was released on the 24th February and ‘Curse of the Town’ (the new song from his EP ‘One For The Road’ is out on the 31st March!
Ben’s album LIFE & LOVE IN ENGLAND is out now and available to download on iTunes and Spotify
For more on Ben go to his website www.bmckmusic.co.uk
Ben’s album LIFE & LOVE IN ENGLAND is out now and available to download on iTunes and Spotify
For more on Ben go to his website www.bmckmusic.co.uk
Listen to Ben's acoustic version of You’re Only Here Once