Ben Calvert
Ben writes and plays what he describes as ‘Lo-Fi Post-Folk musings’. He grew up on a diet of English folk, U.S. 60’s Psychedelia and Brit-Pop, resulting in sounds with melodic, narrative, songwriting at the core. He doesn’t have a beard, or wear beads, preferring the clean-cut stylings of a 90’s Mod. Outrageous…
“Lush acoustic melancholia. I feel a kindred spirit to this plaintive voice detailing dry observations on modern life. A troubadour whose songs are rich and full of depth, never falling into formulaic structures, Calvert is a truly talented artist who inspires me with thoughts of what could be.” Jeff Stuka, Blue Whale Blog
“Finely crafted songwriting” Metro.
“Resurrects the mad ghosts of Nico and Nick Drake” Virtual Festivals.
“Bruised romanticism…Ben’s Cohen-esque, Smithsian melancholy enchants the building audience.”
The Fly
In the last three years he’s toured extensively, both solo and with The Fathers, playing support slots to Kris Drever, Jeremy Warmsley, Jim Bob, and I Like Trains, amongst others. He also appeared onstage with Guillemots at a packed out Birmingham Academy.
In September 2009 Ben celebrated his 4th appearance at Moseley Folk Festival, opening for St Etienne. In October 2009 he played a near sell-out gig at Warwick Arts Centre. In 2010 Ben signed to Bohemian Jukebox.
His songs have had Radio One airplay on John Peel’s show, and more recently on Janice Long’s show. His fanbase covers Australia, the USA, Japan and across Europe as a result of internet radio station play.
On his third and latest album, The Broken Family DaySaver, power-chord songs of seaside jaunts, day trips, and amyl nitrate sniffin’ sit next to alt-folk reflections on impossible summers.
“A booty bag of avid odes to poppers, kids and wonderboys; he’s an understated emancipator of lyrical wisdom.”Plan-B.
“Haunting, heart-bruising tales bitterly stumble into each other as if played by a meth-ed up, homeless Johnny Marr. The dark humour and stark honesty of Ben Calvert is paralysing, and charmingly so.” The Fly.
“Although Ben Calvert has a folk heart, it is a folk heart which has been broken on indie dancefloors to the sounds of Blur and The Smiths. An accomplished piece of art.”
Indie mp3.co.uk
Buy the album via the Bohemian Jukebox Shop from independent record shops, or as a digital download from itunes.
“The world of Ben Calvert is one of family, sex, drugs and psychedelic folk soul where city doldrums, insalubrious corners, glue-sniffers and cynical grey tile skies are redeemed and lined with silver by the innocence of ‘Kids’. The Broken Family Day Saver is the very type of English modern day troubadour album which would be perfectly aplomb in any Shane Meadows film, and sees a return to the form which previously heralded radio play and endorsement from John Peel. An unexamined life is not worth living.”
Redbricks Magazine.
