Ben Haenow

Komedia, Brighton

Monday, April 29

SINCE winning X Factor in 2014 Ben Haenow has been a popular figure in the British music charts. He has had a rollercoaster 12 months, having released his second studio album, Alive. Now he is hoping to put a new take on his guitar-laden pop with an intimate acoustic tour. Jamie Walker speaks to the Croydon-born singer.

Hi Ben, how much are you looking forward to getting back on the road?

I’m absolutely buzzing for it mate, I can’t wait.

Playing live is what I love doing.

I’m pretty chuffed to be playing to a sold-out crowd in Brighton too.

It must be great when you hear a show is sold out?

Yes, it is. It’s close to home for me too.

Brighton’s got a special place in my heart too because it’s where I proposed to my wife.

It’s going to be great to play there.

You grew up not too far from here, being raised in Croydon. Was it somewhere you visited a lot growing up?

Yeah absolutely. I used to come down with my nan and grandad when I was young. It’s somewhere that I’m sure I’ve visited at least once every few months since I was born.

What are your favourite parts of the city?

I really like The Lanes, there’s loads of funky shops there.

We’ll just spend the day walking round, there are lots of great places to eat too.

When you’re doing tours do you get to spend much time in the places you’re playing?

Normally you’re in one place for a show, finishing late and then on to the next place.

But this time Brighton is the last date on the tour so we’ll definitely stick around and have some beers.

You’re playing an intimate show at Komedia. Do you enjoy those small club gigs, especially having played big shows when on the X Factor?

Yeah they’re very different vibes.

This is an acoustic tour so we wanted to play smaller venues and make everyone feel a bit more involved.

But before X Factor I was playing clubs and pubs across the country so I’m used to small shows.

So what was the thinking behind an acoustic tour?

It’s just something different.

I’ve done three tours with a full band, which are always fun and quite rowdy.

But this time I wanted to put a different feel on the songs, show people a new side to the style.

It’s fun to rearrange the music for an acoustic show.

Yeah, when it’s you with a guitar you must have more freedom to change things.

Yeah it brings a different vibe and feel to the songs.

It’s more stripped back and leaves you more open to the lyrics of the songs.

Is it more intimidating not having that band behind you?

Yeah, you definitely feel more on display.

But intimidating may not be the right word, it’s more liberating in a lot of ways.

When you have the guitar in your hands, and it’s just you, you can control the pace of the music.

It’s definitely different to what I’m used to but I’m really looking forward to it.

There must be songs in your back catalogue you think suit that acoustic sound?

Yeas, I’m hoping so. Some of the slower ones will definitely work on acoustic but it’s a bit more challenging to make it fit.

People will best know you for your time on X Factor. Does that environment prepare you for intimate shows or is it very much about the big stages?

Yes, it kind of just shoots you to the arenas, which gets you used to playing the bigger audiences.

That is helpful if you’ve got any sort of fear of performing.

But it doesn’t set you up for playing smaller shows.

But the number of shows you’re doing really gets you ready for shows of any size.

Your latest album Alive came out almost a year ago. What has the past 12 months been like for you?

It’s been great. I’ve been all over the world playing shows.

Being an independent artist and releasing that record was quite scary, having been signed to a label for my first album [his 2015 self-titled album].

But it was great to see there are still people supporting me, wanting to hear my music and come to my shows.

How much harder is it releasing an album without label backing?

Luckily there are so many avenues out there that help independent artists.

We worked with a company called Artists Without A Label and they helped with the distribution and registering songs.

There’s a lot of boring registering stuff that you’d be completely unaware of if you hadn’t done it before.

So it really helps you get your head around the business side of the process.

So what can people expect from these shows?

It’s going to be a lot of fun, a singalong type of show. I’ve got my brother along with me on this tour.

I’ve honed my guitar skills and am showing myself as a bit more of an all-round musician.

How tough was it to perfect those guitar parts?

Pretty tough. My brother is a great guitarist so there’s that sibling rivalry to be the best but I’ve enjoyed the challenge.

Do you like that there are still elements you can add to your performance?

Of course. It’s nice to mix things up and as an artist you want to keep learning. It’s important to keep stuff fresh.

How would you describe yourself when you’re out on stage?

Sometimes I can get a bit carried away with chatting, I like to chat, sometimes I need to be told to shut up.

But we all feel like a big family, I like to get the crowd singing along.

But chatting is a big part of a show too.

I think connection is the best word. People have come to see you play your songs but they also want to know about you.

Just taking a couple of minutes to have a laugh with them and make them part of the show really helps bring it alive.

It’s been five years since you appeared on X Factor. Did you imagine your career would go like this?

I never thought it would.

My style was blues and rock and that had never gone down so well on the show.

I never thought I’d get as far as I did, yet alone win it.

Do you think that rock style is something shows like X Factor don’t represent enough?

I think sometimes when you come off the back of a show, labels know what they like.

If you come off a generic TV show then people can try and just give you that generic vibe.

Sometimes it works with the audience you capture from the show, but there’s plenty of scope for any sort of musician.

If you’ve got good songs people will listen regardless of the genre.