Ben Howard at O2 Academy Brixton

A sold-out Brixton Academy welcomed a humble Ben Howard on Wednesday evening and fans were to be truly amazed at what was in store. The Every Kingdom tour, that has become a complete sell out for the three nights that it is visiting South London, is his biggest to date making it a celebration of how far he has come in the past year.

Prior to his appearance on the stage, the packed-out venue was full of cheering and screaming fans, adding to a simply amazing atmosphere. The academy plunged into darkness for the arrival of his band and a shy, quiet boy welcomed himself on the stage with his guitar, simply saying: “Hello London”.

From the first strum of a chord, we had goose bumps and escaped into a world of acoustic heaven. A silhouette of a moon on a black backdrop brought with it Ben Howard classics such as Diamonds, Old Pine and Only Love, much to everyone’s enjoyment.

Ben commented on the venue itself, saying, “It’s a big old place isn’t it?” and melting every girl’s heart in the room in doing so. His delicate, shy nature combined with streams of spotlighting bringing him to life upon the stage added a beautiful ambience to his set.

As the silhouette on the backdrop changed to a man on stage playing a piano, we were treated to Keep Your Head Up, a favourite of the whole academy. The crowd chanted every single word and the performance put on by the band would have anybody thinking it was the final song. However, they continued in impressive style.

The finale included a huge light show that was breathtaking and left the hairs on the back of your neck standing on edge. With Ben coming back for an encore, it was clear that no one would be leaving until the very end of the show. His re-entrance to the stage was just him alone, introducing a new song that was about best friends and giving an ending of faultless, acoustic perfection. What a perfect end to a flawless concert.

Kellie Griffiths
Photos: Dimitris Amvrazis

For further information and future events visit Ben Howard’s website here.