Ben Brown reveals new video for "Kathmandu"
This Summer, Ben Brown will be heading out on a stretch of live shows with The Meffs through August and September. Ben’s tour slot announcement arrives as he reveals the video for Kathmandu, the latest single to be taken from his “Blue” EP of recent weeks, which you can watch below:
With Brown’s falsetto swoon and his disarmingly lovelorn lyrics at the fore, Kathmandu is the new single from Xtra Mile Recordings’ latest signing.
“I lost my heart in Kathmandu, oh what’s a boy to do?” Ben quips on a track filled with catchy chorus hooks and playful kazoo solos designed to lodge in your brain long after the needle has left the groove.
One of the stand-out songs from his recent release “Blue”, the EP was produced by friend and mentor Frank Turner.
Recently touring around the UK with Frank, and indeed The Meffs, Brown hit-it-off with the Essex tearaways and has since been invited to rejoin them for their own UK tour this Summer and Autumn. Catch Ben supporting The Meffs, at these upcoming shows:
The Meffs + Ben Brown Tour
23/8 - Soundhouse, Leicester
29/8 - The Piper, Hastings
30/8 - The Junction, Plymouth
31/8 - Anvil, Bournemouth
12th September – Bathgate
13th September – Newcastle Under Lyme
20/9 - John Peel Centre, Stowmarket
21/9 - Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
22/9 - The Bunkhouse Swansea
Armed with ready wit, raucous vibes and a shed load of grin-inducing great songs, Ben Brown is the newest signing to Xtra Mile Recordings. Hailing from Manningtree, Essex, Ben has honed his songwriting craft over a number of years and in a number of different guises. Previously in bands Dingus Khan and SuperGlu, gaining support from Steve Lamacq, Huw Stephens, Rob Da Bank and Mary Ann Hobbs, Ben is now branching out on his own with new music and live shows in pipeline.
Whilst writing music for his first solo offering, Ben had a chance meeting with Frank Turner. After catching a performance at his neighbour’s barbecue, Frank invited Ben to record some songs in the recording studio at the bottom of his garden. Bonding over a shared enjoyment of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, together they set about capturing the songs Frank had heard - a process which turned into one of play and exploration. There were no arrangements other than voice and guitar initially - but together they layered vocals and drum machines to create recordings that sound like the songs heard at the bbq - but more!
Ben says of the session: “Many laughs were had at the recording and listening back to the performances you can really hear how comfortable I had become in Frank’s garden studio. At lunch time - Frank would cook me his signature dish … Pasta Surprise – which is apparently the only thing he can cook. Being a good producer is as much technical prowess as it is communication and personal skills. Frank has both of these.
The songs themselves are sort of vignettes in my head - when I sing them, I can picture a scene. The way the camera would move, the grain of the film. I believe them to be well crafted - both structurally and melodically - they are more understated than my previous work, there is no loud drum kit or overdriven guitar to hide behind. For me, this is more vulnerable, and to be honest more exciting!”
The EP’s lead track Blue picked up plays on 6Music by Steve Lamacq, BBC Introducing Essex and BBC Introducing Suffolk as well as Radio X Xposure Daily. The EP, also called “Blue” is out now and available to stream HERE.
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