Ben Howard braced Leeds with his music on a fine April night. Despite difficulty when locating the venue, it didn't dampen our moods (at least not mine anyway..) and we were well on our way. Sat quite far away from the stage we watched the support act, and I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the group but they performed music that had an electronic sound with a rock feel.

As Ben Howard stepped on stage goosebumps grew but being so far away from the stage meant not being able to see him very clearly. That didn't matter too much as he began to play, the music spoke to the whole room. He performed my favourites such as Black Flies, I forget Where We Were, Conrad and even Esmerelda. He threw in songs that were not his most famous but I feel they represented his truest form, and to my parents despair he did not play Only Love. It is interesting that he didn't perform this song considering he played The Fear and The Wolves and didn't think to include his biggest hit. It is possible that he wanted to reach an audience that loved him for his true sound rather than what he is known for and in that way I find him admirable. His stage presence was interesting as he spoke a maximum of 10 words but still had an aura about him that didnt make the audience want to fall asleep, he is almost portraying his character as the mysterious and shy person that is shown throughout his music. 

Overall I was completely immersed with the experience. I felt like the music was one big performance that went through leaps and bounds taking us through both his albums in a way that wasn't obnoxious. I was just in love with the way he went through each song with so much soul but doesn't overpower the meaning with too much voice.  I found the balance of the show beautiful and I can't wait to see what Ben Howard has to offer us next. Despite not hearing Only Love, my dad still decided to joyfully sing it walking out of the arena not feeling too disheartened!

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