Some people treat the blues like it’s an exhibit in a museum, something to be painstakingly replicated for future generations. 26-year-old Benjamin Booker plays the blues (and its bratty offspring rock’n’roll) like Jack White used to when the White Stripes were still freshly painted (Benjamin has toured with him, so he should know). Everything is raw, unsophisticated, spontaneous and energised, and sung with a voice like an open sore.
His eponymous debut album was released in 2014, with the single Violent Shiver having been seized upon by Huw Stephens, Mary Ann Hobbs, Lauren Laverne and the 91Èȱ¬ 6 Music playlisters. An inflamed performance on Later… with Jools Holland followed soon after, proving that the voice and nimble guitar work - part Chuck Berry, part Wilko Johnson - were no studio trickery. Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers was even seen bouncing on his heels with delight as the band reached their fully rocking climax. And there’s plenty more where that came from.
Some people treat the blues like it’s an exhibit in a museum, something to be painstakingly replicated for future generations. 26-year-old Benjamin Booker plays the blues (and its bratty offspring rock’n’roll) like Jack White used to when the White Stripes were still freshly painted (Benjamin has toured with him, so he should know). Everything is raw, unsophisticated, spontaneous and energised, and sung with a voice like an open sore.
His eponymous debut album was released in 2014, with the single Violent Shiver having been seized upon by Huw Stephens, Mary Ann Hobbs, Lauren Laverne and the 91Èȱ¬ 6 Music playlisters. An inflamed performance on Later… with Jools Holland followed soon after, proving that the voice and nimble guitar work - part Chuck Berry, part Wilko Johnson - were no studio trickery. Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers was even seen bouncing on his heels with delight as the band reached their fully rocking climax. And there’s plenty more where that came from.
