Benjamin Francis Leftwich (born 4 September 1989) is an English singer-songwriter from York. Leftwich released his first album Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm in 2011 which peaked at #35 on the UK charts. He has released four further albums since, the most recent in February 2024. Leftwich has also co-written with other artists, including The 1975, Holly Humberstone and CMAT.
Benjamin Francis Leftwich | |
|---|---|
 Performing at Jersey Live in 2011. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 4 September 1989 |
| Origin | York, England |
| Genres | Indie folk, acoustic |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Dirty Hit |
| Website | benjaminfrancisleftwich |
Early life
editLeftwich began playing at the age of ten and grew up listening to the Rolling Stones and Nina Simone; later discovering Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, and Elliott Smith. He cites Cher,[1] Arcade Fire, Ryan Adams, and Bruce Springsteen as inspirations.[2]
Education
editLeftwich was educated at Hempland Primary School, and then at Bootham School.
Life and career
editLeftwich's debut album, the Ian Grimble-produced Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm, was released in July 2011. The Fly called it "a majestic debut"[3] The Skinny,[4] while the Sunday Express called it "lovely".[5] Hazel Sheffield, writing in The Guardian, gave it a 3/5 rating,[6] as did David Pollock, writing for The Scotsman, who drew comparisons to Damien Rice and José González.[7] Leftwich's "Shine" was named Spotify's most addictive track of 2014,[8] the most repeat-played song of the year. Leftwich sold more than 100,000 copies of Last Smoke and received over 150 million global Spotify plays.[9] "Atlas Hands" was featured in Zillow's TV Commercial 'Lake House' in 2015[10] In this same year, Benjamin Francis Leftwich co-wrote "Grow" with British artist Frances which featured in the Amazon UK TV advert.[11]
His second album After the Rain was released in August 2016. Performing songs off this album and his former, he toured extensively from April 2016 to August 2017, covering the UK, Canada, USA, China, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and throughout Asia (e.g., Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia).[12]
Albums Gratitude, To Carry A Whale and Some Things Break followed in 2019, 2021 and 2024 respectively. As of 2024, Leftwich has more than 749,000 monthly listeners and more than 312,000 followers on Spotify.[13]
As well as writing and recording his own music, Leftwich co-writes with other artists and has collaborated with The 1975, Holly Humberstone and CMAT amongst others.[14]
Personal life
editLeftwich has admitted to previous problems with alcohol and drug addiction but has been sober since 2019.[14]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Details | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm |
|
35 |
| After the Rain |
|
53 |
| Gratitude |
|
- |
| To Carry a Whale |
|
- |
| Some Things Break |
|
- |
EPs
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| A Million Miles Out |
|
| Pictures |
|
| In the Open |
|
| Elephant |
|
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [15] | |||
| 2011 | "Box of Stones" | 195 | Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm |
| "Atlas Hands" | — | ||
| 2012 | "Pictures" | — | |
| 2014 | "Shine" | — | |
| 2016 | "Tilikum" | — | After the Rain |
| "Mayflies" | — | ||
| "Summer" | — | ||
| "Groves" | — | ||
| 2017 | "Pure Morning" cover | — | |
| "Rebellion (Lies)" cover | — | ||
| "When You Were Young" cover | — | ||
| "Because of Toledo" cover | — |
References
edit- ^ Harding, Charlotte (11 March 2019). "Singer Benjamin Francis Leftwich talks touring and being influenced by Cher". Worthing Herald. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ "Benjamin Francis Leftwich reveals album inspirations", BBC, 30 June 2011, retrieved 2011-07-06
- ^ "The domain www.the-fly.co.uk is registered by NetNames". Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Buckle, Chris (2011) "Benjamin Francis Leftwich – Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm", The Skinny, 27 June 2011, retrieved 2011-07-06
- ^ Heathcote, Charlotte (2011) "ALBUM REVIEW – BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH: LAST SMOKE BEFORE THE SNOW STORM (DIRTY HIT)", Sunday Express, 3 July 2011, retrieved 2011-07-06
- ^ Sheffield, Hazel (2011) "Benjamin Francis Leftwich: Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm – review", The Guardian, 30 June 2011, retrieved 2011-07-06
- ^ Pollock, David (2011) "Album review: Benjamin Francis Leftwich: Last smoke before the snowstorm", The Scotsman, 5 July 2011, retrieved 2011-07-07
- ^ "Spotify Year in Music". spotify-yearinmusic.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ "CD review: Benjamin Francis Leftwich, After The Rain (Dirty Hit Records) ****". York Press. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "Zillow: Real Estate, Apartments, Mortgages & Home Values". Zillow. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "Amazon Prime – Nursery". 28 July 2015.
- ^ "Benjamin Francis Leftwich". benjaminfrancisleftwich.com. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "Benjamin Francis Leftwich". Spotify. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ a b Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; ClashMusic (8 February 2024). "In Conversation: Benjamin Francis Leftwich | Features". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Chart" (TXT). Zobbel.de. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Benjamin Francis Leftwich shares 'After the Rain' with London | Graffiti. Punctuated". Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
