aaamusic | On 21, Jan 2011

Having ploughed the lo-fi folk-rock furrow since 2004, and along the way gathered support slots with Frank Turner, Chris T-T, Jonah Matranga and Get Cape, Wear Cape. Fly, twenty-odd songwriter Ben Marwood is set to furnish us with his debut album proper. ‘Outside There’s A Curse’ will be released on Xtra Mile Recordings on 31st January 2011.

2010 has seen Ben experience ups followed by downs followed by ups – playing 2000Trees festival, his only guitar breaking on tour, supporting Frank Turner on his Reading and Leeds Festival warm up shows, recovering from unemployment only to find himself almost homeless. Still, Ben has continued to record songs wherever and whenever he could. Starting out 14 months ago on an 8-track portable studio before utilising the kindly nature of fellow songwriter Jay Newton, and his bedroom floor, this long-awaited collection of sardonic and honest acoustic-led tales is finally completed.

Two years after the release of ‘This Is Not What You Had Planned’, the independent mini-album that grasped the attention of The Times, Artrocker, BBC Radio 1 & 2 and XFM, and following last year’s ‘Exclamation At Asterisk Hash’ split with Oxygen Thief and Jim Lockey, ‘Outside There’s A Curse’ firmly establishes Ben’s coiled, lyrical style. Though the angst of 2008 lingers, along with the expected pop culture sideswipes and name-checking, it is complemented by a philosophical acceptance in the face of death (‘Toil’), a will to make good on past mistakes (‘I Will Breathe You In’) and light-hearted jabs at his own shortcomings (‘Oh My Days’, recorded live in front of a studio audience of thirteen).

Tracklisting:
1. I Will Breathe You In
2. Singalong
3. Toil
4. A Shower of Bastards
5. They Will Float Your Body Out To Sea
6. It’s Harder Now To Break Your Stupid Heart
7. Oh My Days
8. JJ Abrams
9. Tell Avril Lavigne I Never Wanted To Be Her Stupid Boyfriend Anyway
10. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight (The Postal Service cover)

Live in January
Saturday 15th Jan – Leeds, Cardigan Arms 7.30pm
Sunday 16th Jan – Cheltenham, Slak 8pm
Tuesday 18th Jan – Bristol, Louisiana 8pm £7door/£5adv
Wednesday 19th Jan – Oxford, G&D’s Ice Cream Café 8pm Free show
Thursday 20th Jan – York, City Screen Basement 8pm
Saturday 22nd Jan – Farnsfield/Nottingham, Farnsfield Acoustic 8pm £10
Sunday 23rd Jan – Swindon, The Vic 7.30pm £3 door/£3 adv
Friday 28th – launch show @ Reading, Rising Sun Arts Centre 8pm £5 doors/£4 adv
Saturday 29th – Birmingham, Brighthouse 1pm – Charity show
Sunday 30th – London, Wilmington Arms 6pm £5 door/£4 adv
Monday 31st – Kingston, Banquet Records – Instore performance and signing 6pm.