Quick plays: BEN HEMMING

BEN HEMMING The Devil Beside Me

BEN HEMMING The Devil Beside Me [Release date 31.05.19]

‘Nu-blues’ man Ben Hemming opens his latest release with the impressively broody/ doomy Dead Man Blues which reminds me (strangely) of PJ Harvey circa Bring Your Love To Me.  It’s a powerful statement.

And with just the help of James Hosking (bass) and Luigi Rampino (drums) his third album The Devil Beside Me is a brutal slab of soul searching recorded at The Blues Studios in London’s Hackney with producer Mark Waterman (Depeche Mode, Elastica) behind the desk.

It may, or may be not, a coincidence but there’s unmistakeable tones of Gahan to Hemming’s vocals and with some of his previous work having been recorded at Jack White’s Third Man Recording Booth, the London based singer/songwriter could easily be the pair’s bastard offspring (if that were physically possible).

Uncompromisingly dense, The Devil Beside Me is no easy ride  “my mother knew, the day she had me, a darker day she would never see” (‘The Sea’) but it’s easy to see Hemming building a cult following.  Taking it to the masses may prove more challenging.  ***

Review by Pete Whalley


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024

ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)


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