Brighton preview: Ben Howard @ Concorde 2 – 15 February 2012

Ben Howard is no stranger to Brighton. So far he’s played The Great Escape, The Hope and Komedia, among others. Having toured all of the country and beyond since 2009, he’s gained quite a following of loyal fans. He’s returning to Brighton on 15 February for his biggest solo Brighton gig yet at Concorde 2, which is already sold out.

Inspired by artists such as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, Ben Howard is known for his thoughtful and melodic song-writing and finger-picking acoustic style. A keen surfer, his folksy songs capture a rawness and authenticity often absent in today’s charts.

The young singer-songwriter, who was born in London but moved to Devon in his teens, had a phenomenal 2011. He released his debut album ‘Every Kingdom’ on Island records – a label with a penchant for British singer-songwriters (including Nick Drake and John Martyn) – in October to wide acclaim.

He was quickly championed by BBC Radio 1 and the album reached number seven in the charts – no mean feat for a folk singer – and went on to have a couple of singles, most notably ‘Keep Your Head Up’. He recently played a session for Zane Lowe’s show in which he played ‘Wolves’ and recent single ‘Black Flies’, a beautiful duet featuring Daughter, aka Elena Tonra, who will be in support at Concorde.

Daughter has already been tipped as an exciting new act. An irresistible combination of earthy vocals and simple yet heartfelt lyrics should have her winning over fans of her own. To date she has released two EPs, ‘His Young Heart’ and, more recently, ‘The Wild Youth’. Each demonstrates her song-writing ability, proving her to be an able guitarist and vocalist.

Together Ben Howard and Daughter promise an evening with some of the country’s finest acoustic offerings from an exciting new artist and a real veteran of the scene.

Ben Howard and Daughter play Concorde 2 on 15 February 2012. Tickets are sold out.

Originally published on Brighton and Hove Free Press.

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