The last time Benjamin Francis Leftwich took to the stage in his hometown, his flickering acoustic confessionals seemed lost on a sparse Duchess audience, the venue not really lending itself well to the style of Leftwich’s music. Now, just half a year later, in the packed chambers of the National Centre for Early Music, it’s clear to see Leftwich has grown both in confidence and complexity as a singer-songwriter.
There’s an unspoken self-assurance that permeates the air tonight, with it being clearly evident from the outset that a national tour and a well-received (and maybe a little understated) debut album have worked wonders for the musician’s poise.
Tentatively taking to the stage and whispering nothing but a hushed “Hey”, Leftwich launches into “1904” with pitch-perfect accuracy that stuns the onlookers here into silence before rapturous applause. From this, he carefully works through much of his album, occasionally moving away from the microphone to usher in further quiet for the likes of fan favourites “Pictures” and “Butterfly Culture”. Having just released a download-only covers EP, it seems a little disappointing Leftwich doesn’t decide to pick out a few and offer a live rendition, but in fairness he does dip into his own back-catalogue of EPs, recorded while he was still in school.
Perhaps the main criticism that can be levelled at Leftwich is that all too often his songs can follow too similar a structure so as that if for a few chords here and there, many of the songs here can all merge into one. Despite this, by the time “Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm” has ended, he has already hopped off the stage to a deserved applause and it is easy to forgive (and also forget) the similarity of some of the closing songs. He comes on for one last song and with a heartfelt thankyou, he ends his homecoming gig and national tour a little more established in the local music scene, and a lot more aware of his own ability as a musician.