Gig Reviews
The Music Room at Pizza Express, Maidstone - 21st March 2009
Of all the venues I've been to, to see Ben Mills perform live, none seem to fill me with excitement as much as the Music Room at Pizza Express in Maidstone. I love the intimacy that such a small venue brings and the warm and friendly atmosphere that comes with it, but most of all I love that this seems to be the place Ben chooses more than any other to showcase his new songs.
The best gigs for me are always the ones where Ben performs his own material, especially when it's for the very first time. There's something extra special about hearing a song when it's 'fresh out of the box', so to speak, and that meant Ben's latest Pizza Express gig was incredibly extra special!
The first surprise of the evening came with a change to the band line-up. Until now, we'd become accustomed to seeing Ben mainly sat behind the baby grand piano, with the occasional bit of acoustic guitar. Enter pianist and keyboard player Thomas Farmer, whose introduction to the line-up meant Ben could come out of hiding. Throughout the night he switched deftly between his acoustic and electric guitars, only slipping back behind the piano for the odd song here and there.
They opened with a couple of covers which have become regulars to the set list, "Ain't No Sunshine" and the song which initially put Ben in the limelight, "Bring It On Home To Me". We were then into the first of three 'new' covers performed that night, Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately". Although reminiscent of the 1993 Rod Stewart version, Ben, as always, made the song his own, just as he does with "Handbags & Gladrags" which followed. Now, anybody who has read my previous reports will know how much this particular song means to me so will understand when I say that I was, at this point, well on my way to the proverbial "Cloud Nine". What came next, though, catapulted me way past that - the first of Ben's brand new songs!
A snippet of "Let It Rain" was recently added to the Music Player on Ben's Official MySpace, so I was already familar with the song in part. However, it's not until you hear it in its entirity that you get the full impact, and even more so with a live performance and the energy that Ben exudes during it. I have said before that I have a fascination with Ben's skill as a lyricist and with "Let It Rain" he has drawn me in yet again. The vivid imagery returns with lines such as "words will fall around my feet and then vanish down the drain" in a song which so accurately expresses the feeling of anger, frustration and hurt that follows a broken relationship. I absolutely love it, and whilst I doubt I will ever be able to pick an ultimate favourite Ben Mills song, this one would definitely make the short list.
Another of Ben's songs followed, for which he returned to the piano. It was "I Can't Take You With Me", which many know by now was written for Bailey, his beautiful golden retriever. After this was "Brown Eyed Girl" and then a wonderful version of James Morrison's "Undiscovered". Then, in what seemed like no time at all, we were into the last song of the first half of the show, Ben's powerfully emotive "Freedom".
The second half of the set began with two Rod Stewart numbers. First was "Maggie May" with Ben at the piano, then he switched to his electric guitar for the last of the 'new' covers, "Hot Legs", which set the mood perfectly for another of Ben's self-penned songs.
"Emily", which can be heard in full on MySpace, is a bluesy rock number that, for me, conjures up images of American diners, sleazy motels and deserted dusty roads which seemingly stretch for miles. It's such a fantastic song and so incredibly catchy you simply have to wind the volume up and sing along!
Keeping the tempo raised, they followed "Emily" with "Stay With Me Tonight" which had only ever been performed live once before, at the Kings Hall in Herne Bay a year ago. A recording of this song featured on the MySpace Music Player for some time, but it was removed a short while ago to make way for the newer material so it was great to have it included in the set again.
Two more well known covers, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Moondance", were followed by yet another highlight - the first ever live performance of "Waiting For You", the song Ben wrote with Take That's Mark Owen. Mark's influence in this song is unmistakeable but it really suits Ben's voice and style of music and I'm so glad they got together to write it.
The evening was now drawing to a close and all too quickly we were down to the last three songs - "Superstition", "Play That Funky Music" and what seems to be a regular to close with, the Faces' "Stay With Me". There was no way we could let them go just like that, though, and it wasn't long before the audience joined me in my screams for more! There was a song, another new one, which I'd hoped would make it onto the set list that night, but for all my pleading for just one more song I never once thought that this would be it. Ben, however, responded to my pleas and with a grin on his face, he pointed at me and said, "I know what you want!". With that, he picked up his electric guitar, and the band started to play the intro' to "Over The Rainbow". I honestly don't know what it is about this song, I've thought long and hard and I just can't put my finger on it, but it really gets to me. The instant they started to play, the butterflies in my stomach made their presence felt, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I had a massive lump in my throat. It was like hearing "Handbags & Gladrags" for the first time, only moreso. Fortunately there was another song to follow, "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing", which gave me time to compose myself before it was time to leave, but the butterflies stayed put until we were well on the way home!
So that was it. Another gig been and gone in what seemed like the blink of an eye, but the memories remain - and what fabulous memories they are too!
Many thanks to the guys who supported Ben at this gig: Dudley Ross & David Gwilliam (Lead Guitar), Felix Krish (Bass Guitar), Tom Farmer (Keyboards / Piano) and Pete Cranham (Drums), and as always a very special thank you to Pizza Express for booking Ben and his band yet again. I know I've said this before, but PLEASE keep doing so!!!
Report & Photography by Saara Ord - Webmaster / Administrator
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