Thurs 7th May: Esser Exclusive - Brave Face

Well here it is, Esser has released his debut album this week.........entitled "Braveface". Since first discovering his music and art direction by Elisha Smith-Leverock last summer (http://fredbutlerstyle.blogspot.com/2008/09/weds-10th-sept-worked-it-out.html) I have been relentlessly championing this uber sharp musical shape-shifter. That was before I even got a whiff that we shared the same improbable talent hotbed background of Colchester Instiute (big-up to all fellow canteen dwellers out there)! So without furthur a-do here are some archive Polaroids thanks to Elisha, who has been documenting his different projects leading up to the release. I asked Ben a few atypical questions and he has taken time out to honour yet another blog request to give us the inside scoop................


If you could learn any instrument what would it be, and who would you like to be taught by? (dead or alive)

Id have greg howard teach me the chapman stick.






What has been your most inspiring encounter?

I think it was when don letts came on stage and did a vocal on satisfied. Hes obviously a hugely influential figure..... That was pretty amazing to be honest.



What has been the most unexpected positive performance and why?

I never really expected a gig in chelmsford to be quite as rowdy. The term is barhouse crazy.




What was your favourite tune to dance round the house when you were a kid?

Boom boom boom by the outhere brothers was always a favorite and actually still is.




Whats your favourite home-comfort when you get off the road after a tour?

Just home cooked food. Its nice to eat something that you know is real, like a plain potato.




Any idea or clue what you may have been in a previous life?

Im pretty sure i was a pigeon




Whats your dream venue for a gig (could be literally anything imaginable........not necessarily real!)

Id like to play in the town of fucking. Fucking?is a small settlement (population c. 150), part of the municipality of Tarsdorf, in the Innviertel region of western Upper Austria, located at 48°02′59″N, 12°50′59″E, bordering Bavaria. It is near the city of Salzburg. The village is known to have existed as “Fucking” since at least 1070 and is named after a man from the 6th century called Focko.





Any advice for the next unsigned discovery?
Just relax.



Elisha's illustration collaborator Omar Hraib has hand drawn artwork for special version of the album exclusivley for Pure Groove. There are only 200 copies of the vinyl edition in the world! So get down to Smithfields to snag a copy or for those in the Essex homelands, head to HMV in Chelmsford today for an instore signing at 5pm.

Sat 28th March: South by South West

Thank God we had a miraculously sunny Spring week in London when I heard news from the sunshine and partying going down in Texas at South by South West music festival. Otherwise I would have replied with some choice words of furious abuse and outright jealous indignation at the sheer mention of 24hr music & margaritas. As it was, I had my own party of drinking a can of Guinness on a park bench to celebrate St.Patrick's day with a fellow designer (who will remain nameless as not to tarnish thier integrity by hanging out with me at such an auspicious occasion) . But here are some out-takes from Elisha Smith-Leverock's documentary photography of Esser whilst they were living it up Cowboy style in the Lone Star State.









VOTE for Elisha's newly edited Esser "headlock" video which has been added to the mtv 2 myspace chart by going to:
myspace.​com/​mtv2
choose 'full list' from the voting widget where you'll find ESSER then just click on 'vote'

Weds 10th Sept: Worked It Out!

Finally have it! The only post I have ever put here without images was to declare my addiction to listening to Esser. It was the only thing that got me through the dark times of Radio 6 insisting on playing Coldplay on relentless rotation...........


So I got totally over excited and screamed down the phone when Kim Howells told me that she was styling an album shoot and it was a guy called Ben Esser! .Kim has previously shot in Berlin with photographer Elisha Leverock-Smith and the two collaborated on this new project in London. So predictably I asked (ie. harassesed) Kim for some snaps from the day and fortuneatly the record company have been extremely obliging in giving her the go ahead to share these 2 images..................
Esser is on tour for the whole of October in the UK to promote his tunes, so check out his myspace for listings..........

Here is the video for his latest single which is directed also by Elisha: