KBPS Interview: Ben McKelvey

Ben McKelvey

Ben McKelvey is a singer-songwriter from London who has just released his new single ‘Morning I’m Gone’ taken from his debut album ‘Life & Love in England’. We caught up with him for an interview about his single and album, his plans for the future and how he likes to keep fit between recording sessions. First up was all about his single, which was the first he recorded for the album.

“It went down well on the tour with Wet Wet Wet; it’s a catchy one to get the crowd going. I’m delighted that the way it’s come out!”

Taken from the album, which was produced by Jake Robins, Ben was really positive about the recording experience, a time which is being captured in an album documentary which is due to be released before the end of the month. “We set up a load of cameras, a couple of GoPros, in the studio and recorded as much as we could.”

The album features a mixture of styles, with one song recorded as live, and other techniques to keep it fresh. Ben also plays all the instruments on the record, including drums, going back to a time when he originally played as the drummer in a punk band. We were keen to know how it was like to go solo. “I do not miss carrying the drums to gigs!” he confessed. “That was a good bonus point. Being a drummer you’re quite limited in the song writing process. Writing in the songs is my favourite part of music.

“The transition was quite natural as I enjoyed writing music, I just had to get better at guitar. So when the band disbanded I just taught myself a few chords and it was away from there!

“I like doing everything myself as I know exactly how I want it. It’s more work but there’s a greater reward in the long run."

Ben has also recently been touring with his band The Firebrands and recently supported Wet Wet Wet on their big arena tour. Ben told us about how it came about, receiving the phone call to join them when he was in a guitar shop. “I was buying myself a new guitar and I got a phone call asking if I’d like to play pretty much every arena in the UK supporting Wet Wet Wet and I was like definitely!. It was a career changing moment.

“We’ve done some really cool stuff before [like] playing in the States and great venues but nothing on the scale like that. It was just the professionalism of the crew, and everyone involved with a project that big were just so inspiring and great to work with.

“The boys and their management were so welcoming; they watched our show from the side of the stage. They were just brilliant and we had the time of our lives!”

Ben and his band tweak their live performance depending on the audience. For the Wet Wet Wet tour they did a full band set-up but semi-acoustic in style. “We try and fit it in with who we’re supporting, so if we’re with a heavier rock band then we might go electric guitar and drum kits, then for a poppier band we might strip it down a bit.

“[Most of] my songs are written on an acoustic guitar so normally if the song works on an acoustic then we can do it [many ways]. It gives us a chance to work with different dynamics and makes every tour slightly different for us and the audience, so keeps things fresh.”

Alongside being a musician, Ben also directed the promotional video for song ‘Somewhere Else’, showcasing his involvement in other aspects of the music process. “I’m probably a bit of a control freak I guess! The whole thing is like a big art project for me, whether it’s writing the song, or recording the song, or making a video for the song, if I can do it on my own I will.

“The videos we do now are run through my label and my producer helps me direct and we co-direct things together. I love being part of every bit of the creative process as I just enjoy it so much.”

When Ben is not in the studio he likes to keep fit, and is working on a website to showcase his training videos alongside his music. A typical day for Ben is getting up at 5am to train with a variety of exercises in his plan, plus evening sessions as well. “I find it really helps anchor my day and gives me a lot of energy to do everything I need to be doing.”

I quizzed Ben about his choice of music whilst training. Sometimes it’s his own music but often his playlist consists of upbeat music from Foo Fighters and Kasabian. But what are Ben’s future plans for his music?

“I’m in the process of moving to Brighton. I’m actually in a position now where I can do music full time which is fantastic. It’s a great city for music and full of bars!

“I’m also going for album number two in the summer and hopefully another couple of support tours, so I’ll definitely be out of the road again soon!”