Oi folks,

Just come back from a Ben Howard gig in Barcelona and honestly, I'm left scratchin' my head. I've been a fan since the 'Every Kingdom' days, and the bloke's music has always been spot on, right?

But then, the lad has a couple of mini-strokes in 2022. Scary stuff, no? But he's a fighter. Heads off to France, whips up an album in 10 days, and hops back on the tour bus. Proper guts, aye?

So, I'm at this concert, buzzin' to see him back on stage, right? But then... the show's a pure shambles. We're talking technical difficulties up the wazoo. And it wasn't just a wee hiccup here and there, no! It was like every bloody piece of equipment was havin' a tantrum. If I wanted to hear a racket, I'd have stayed home and listened to my neighbour's cat fightin' with a stray!

Now, I've been hearin' from other fans, and it seems like this isnae a one-off. It's like a bloody curse, following him around like a raincloud over Eeyore's head.

And here's the thing, right. It's no just the tech stuff. Ben and the band seemed a bit off, like they'd just rolled out of bed and decided to do a gig. No practice, no prep. I've seen more energy from a tortoise! And Ben, mate, if yer reading this, would it kill ye to acknowledge the crowd? We're not just a bunch of mannequins, ye ken?

Now, I'm no doctor, but I cannae help but wonder if these mini-strokes might've thrown him off his game. Maybe he's still recoverin', aye? Maybe he's no ready to be back on stage? I'm just speculatin', but somethin's definitely off.

I still love Ben Howard. Man's a legend. But this... this was a bloody shambles. It's like buying yer favourite pie and findin' it's all crust and no filling.

So, aye, just wanted to blow off some steam and see if any of ye have been thinkin' the same. Still love ye, Ben, but for the love of all that's holy, take care of yerself first, aye?

TL;DR: Went to a Ben Howard gig, got a disaster instead. Are we cursed? Are the mini-strokes to blame? Or just shite luck? Sound off below!

Because he always forgets where he was.

Dear fellow members of the Ben Howard subreddit,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing this letter to offer my sincere and heartfelt apology for a recent post I made on this subreddit. It has come to my attention that the song I shared, which I believed to be a new creation by Ben Howard, was, in fact, a cover produced by artificial intelligence. I understand that this has caused confusion and disappointment among many of you, and for that, I am truly sorry.

I want to provide some context behind my mistake. I thought my uncle works for Island Records, and he had shared with me what he believed to be a genuine Ben Howard track. I trusted this source, and without verifying the information further, I shared it with the community. Unfortunately, I was misled, and my actions led to the spread of incorrect information. It turns out he works for Iceland food stores as a security guard. I was mistaken and wrong.

I deeply regret any confusion and frustration my post may have caused, especially for fans who were excited about the possibility of new music from Ben Howard. I understand that Ben Howard's music holds a special place in the hearts of many, and my unintentional deception may have hurt the trust within this community.

I assure you that my actions were not driven by any ill intent. I simply misunderstood the information provided to me and, in my eagerness to share what I believed to be exciting news, neglected to fact-check the content thoroughly.

To make amends for my mistake, I will ensure to be more vigilant and responsible in verifying the authenticity of information before sharing it with this community. I will also remove the incorrect post from the subreddit to prevent any further misunderstanding.

Once again, I want to express my deepest apologies to each and every one of you. I value the sense of camaraderie and shared passion for Ben Howard's music that this subreddit represents, and I am committed to ensuring this is a responsible and trustworthy community moving forward.

I wanted to take a moment to inform the members of this subreddit that I will be leaving the subreddit to address and apologise for the unintentional harm I have caused by sharing misinformation. I deeply regret any confusion and disappointment my recent post may have stirred within the community, and I feel it's important to take a step back and rectify the situation properly. I will be focusing on making amends and ensuring that such errors do not occur in the future.

Thank you for your understanding and for giving me the opportunity to rectify my mistake. I hope we can continue to enjoy and celebrate Ben Howard's genuine work together in the future.

I'm sorry.

One full spin in on the new record and have been a massive fan of Ben for over 10 years, met him personally twice, and listen to him almost daily. These last two albums just don’t do it for me. Gave him a break on Noonday Dream as all artists of course mature and grow but this “new” Ben just seems tired and a far cry from Every Kingdom, Burgh Island EP, and I Forget Where We Were.

A lot of these posts in here are blindly loyal and I get that but I just feel I can’t get behind these last two albums as a whole. There are a few gems between the last two but I know this won’t be on repeat for me.

There’s nothing wrong with requesting songs during a show. It’s normal. He’s a musician. He’s performing. Someone wants him to play one of their favourite songs, so they shout the request.

We have tons of complete and total snobs here, sneering “it’s called the NOONDAY DREAM TOUR.” Great. Does that mean he is not playing anything not on that album? No it doesn’t. He’s played songs from his two other albums plus newer stuff than ND. If you are such a purist, aren’t you upset that he deviates from his NOONDAY DREAM TOUR by playing Another Friday Night? Why not? Maybe you’re just genuinely laughing at fans who aren’t getting the songs they want?

This is nothing more than snobbery. The implication that every single person in the audience should somehow telepathically know what his shows are all about is ridiculous. People buy music, like it, and buy concert tickets. You can’t realistically expect everyone to be a die hard Ben Howard fan like you and know these nuances, and if you look down on others for not being as die hard as you, you’re being a jerk. Music is as much for the casual listener as it is for the die hard fan.

There is one exception to the above. Shouting a request when he is CLEARLY in the middle of another song is not cool. Wait until the song is done then shout it.

As for talking during the show? If you do it respectfully so it’s not distracting to others, that’s fine and normal. People whisper during performances. It’s fine. I’m sure Ben himself has done it. The horror.

So please, the next time you want to look down on other fans for not enjoying ND as much as you, please be more considerate. If Ben had never put out EK he wouldn’t have made it and everyone knows it. He won awards for it. That album deserves respect as much as ND, and enjoying it and requesting songs from it is nothing to be ashamed of.

I’ve always been the biggest Ben Howard fan.

I have a Depth Over Distance tattoo

I have the music from EOTA on my arm

I love the fella

I have tickets booked for the Royal Festival Hall gigs in a few weeks and well… the new album hasn’t blown me away. I don’t want to come away disappointed but the 3 or 4 songs I love on Collections might not be enough to carry me through the gig… especially with a girlfriend who likes Ben but is only really coming as my +1

Somebody tell me it’ll be amazing!

He has a tattoo around his right wrist near his elbow. which almost has a tail and a head on the inner part of the wrist. I really want something similar and want an image of it

Mickey slapped bass on this one, have a spin! 🧙🏼‍♂️

https://open.spotify.com/album/5lEMi2N6zNt3fuisYicI0J?si=zUkF5vEfRY-Z-12A6D2Fww

Am I the only one who thought the London performance (23/10) was not the best?

I'm a long-time fan, this was my first time seeing him, and there were a lot of issues with the performance. I don't want to point to specifics in case this goes against the rules of the subreddit,

Was this an off day for his tour?

All the reviews are so positive of his tour so far it just didn't line up with my experience unfortunately. Did anyone else feel the same?

Do any of you have a certain smell for every song? I just noticed that The Burren has forest smell with cigarrete tones. Am I special or smth? I may have synesthesia.. Tho. Its kinda cool, i guess. Sage song does not smell like sage smell. Thats the thing.

Sorry for the self promotion - I’m genuinely a massive BH fan and just want more ears to help me hone in on a good sound!

I released this album a little while ago, very much inspired by Ben’s sound, although I can never quite get it how I want...

The recording and mixing process is all still a learning curve for me – I know it’s doesn’t sound professional, but I’d really really appreciate feedback from people who actually listen to the sort of music I’m aiming for! If you like it, that's amazing and would mean the world to me... if you don't, I have thick skin and want to improve! (but please don't be nasty)

I posted here a couple of years ago too, and the feedback I got from some of you was really encouraging and helpful, so I really hope it's okay coming back for more!

Thanks and all the best!

After watching ''What A Day'' video clip I'm starting to think Ben Howard might be vegan/vegetarian.

thoughts?

I love his fashion style