CHAOS BEFORE PREDICTABILITY

“All music is folk music, I ain’t never heard a horse sing no song ”. And with that greeting on the wall from Louis Armstrong, I was standing in a pub I’ve never been to before , London’s Sapphire Lounge waiting to hear Mr Benjamin Shaw.

Part of the audacious Audio Anti-Hero label, he was taking part in the bar’s weekly blues, folk and roots night. As I looked around at the unique layout of quoted walls and snug rooms, a voice distracted me from the excellent selection of alcohol. It wasn’t Ben, yet, but an unexpected and welcome surprise that went by the name of Hannah Matthews.

This is what I wish I heard on the radio when I turn in on. But I don’t. With a similar air of the great Laura Marling and a gentle, cascading finger picking style, her soulful vocals flowed in-between the rooms and stripped souls bare. I hadn’t come to hear anyone else, but I was glad I heard this.

Fifteen minutes later and I delved into the snug, awaiting the man himself. A pint of black and white distracted me whilst the next two acts came and went. Then it was time to finally hear the man I’d heard so much about. It was worth waiting for.

Nonchalant fingers brought the guitar alive in a raw way that was almost lost decades ago. While they do, Ben begins to sing in a style that faintly echoes Tom Waits. It’s subtle and understated, but fittingly plays out his honest, melancholy lyrics.

After hearing his refreshingly low-fi EP, “I got the pox, the pox is what I got” I was interested to hear how the music transferred live - and I enjoyed the result. There was no superficiality or pretentiousness, just honest music from honest fingers.

His short, but sweet set concluded with a surprise. “A rock and roll cover” he announces. At first I don’t recognise the upbeat riff, but gradually the words begin to click the clogs together. The Ace of Spades is coming at me in a new and surprisingly entertaining fashion. To make sure no one was too caught up in the murky depths of their pint, Ben roars to a finish with the immortal line, “Don’t forget the joker”. And with that he takes his leave, and so do we.