News Tour Diary: Benjamin Francis Leftwich (Part Four)

Benjamin Frances Leftwich in Cambridge.

Manchester – Ruby LoungeI love playing in Manchester, maybe it’s the student vibe but there always seems to be a king of party/happy atmosphere at the shows which I can always really feel. In the afternoon I went to Manchester Student Union to play a mini gig which was recorded for radio, that was fun but kind of awkward! Ruby Lounge is a great venue, really intimate and cosy but cool. After sound check I went to an amazing Indian café in the northern quarter with my friend who used to do sound for me, he works with Elbow so lives in Manchester. Dan Larkin, legend.

Ok so there’s always a different vibe every night on tour but tonight was really special, the crowd were so welcoming and I really felt it. Probably one of my favourite nights on tour so far! All our good mates from back home turned up as well… so good to see them!

Leicester – The MusicianThis venue is amazing! It’s very much a proper music venue as oppose to some of the places we go which try and be a venue a club and a bar all in one. I love that venues like this still run and put on great nights. There was a definite community/family feel to this place which made for a cool show. I much prefer playing venues like this which aren’t necessarily as fancy/classy as the bigger venues but they always have an amazing hospitable and warm vibe. Great show, great crowd, awesome staff… proper gig. P.S Bella Italia is a joke…

Cambridge – Anglo Ruskin University Students UnionI played my first ever show away from home in this venue 3 years ago with Lisa Mitchell so it was really nice to come back here and play a sold out show. The venue is a big student union hall thing so it’s not the most vibey of places but it was a really cool night in the end. I went on a walk to try and find some tea and ended up in a mad rush of like a million students trying to get to a lecture. Scary.

Oxford – O2 Academy 1I love Oxford I’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of time there this year and it really is a beautiful place if not a bit Harry Potter sometimes. Before the show we went to do some radio sessions just outside of Oxford as usual and then me and my girl went to Pizza Express. Oxford was the biggest show of the tour so far for me and I was not knowing what to expect playing in an academy venue which I usually hate. However, the vibe was so good! I played a couple of songs without the sound-system which was a really nice moment for me. I’ve always been kind of worried about how my live shows would translate when we moved into the bigger venues and it’s so great still be feeling the vibe even in the bigger/plainer academy venues. Tonight we said goodbye to Ned from MONUMENT VALLEY who’d been touring with us for 3 weeks! He’s such a talented song-writer and we’re gutted he has to go back to London but watch out for him. He’s either going to be a rock star or president of the world. Got a day off now. Sick. X

Bristol – The FleeceI was really excited about playing at The Fleece, lots of big bands have come through this venue on their early tours and everyone seems to love it. We didn’t have press on in the afternoon so I got to to chill a bit and have a little walk around the town centre. Before sound check I had a filmed acoustic session at the venue with some students and they had made me some cup cakes. Nice. Our new support act Olfar joined us tonight. I’m looking forward to hearing more of these guys over the next week. The gig tonight was great, really rammed room and very sweaty but still cool. After the show we were back to Bristol Cribbs Causeway Travelodge… I seem to stay here all the time! It’s really funny how well things are going and how the shows are getting bigger and we keep coming back to the same places we’ve been staying all year. It’s kind of nice… nostalgic vibe. Night x

Benjamin Frances Leftwich in Oxford.

Benjamin Frances Leftwich in Bristol.

For Benjamin’s full list of upcoming tour dates, visit benjaminfrancisleftwich.com.