Benjamin Shaw (musician)

Benjamin Shaw is a English musician^[1] and artist ^[2] based in London. He has recorded for a number of different labels but is a mainstay of Audio Antihero records.^[3]

Biography

Benjamin Shaw released his debut EP "I Got the Pox, the Pox is What I Got" in October 2009 on Audio Antihero which saw airplay from BBC 6 Music on the Tom Ravenscroft,^[4] Gideon Coe,^[5] Steve Lamacq,^[6] Jon Holmes^[7] and Tom Robinson^[8] shows and positive reviews from publications such as The Skinny,^[9] The 405,^[10] The Music Fix, This Is Fake DIY,^[11] Clash Music^[12] and The Line of Best Fit who remarked "If you think you've heard the like of Benjamin Shaw before, think again. TLOBF recommended.".^[13]

In October 2011 it was announced on sites like Drowned in Sound,^[14] Bearded^[15] and This Is Fake DIY^[16] that he would be releasing first full length album, "There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet". He would begin promoting the album with a series of sessions for the likes of The Fly, The 405,^[17] This Is Fake DIY,^[18] Triple R,^[19] The Line Of Best Fit,^[20] Dandelion Radio^[21] and Resonance FM.^[22]

The debut LP "There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet" was released on 21 November to positive reviews. Drowned in Sound called it "superb,"^[23] Clash Music remarked that Shaw was "an outcast, a loner, a maverick and a freak. All of these are compliments,"^[24] The Line of Best Fit claimed "you wouldn't want everyone (or anyone else) to sound to like Benjamin Shaw but I'm delighted someone does,"^[25] Is This Music? awarded it 4/5 and called it "one of the better records of the year"^[26] and MusicOMH gave it 4/5 and hailed it as a "truly special album." Album tracks "The Birds Chirp & The Sun Shines" and "Interview" were given multiple plays on the Tom Ravenscroft and Gideon Coe BBC 6 Music shows, as were the album's first single "Somewhere Over the M6" and its B-side "Pig".^[27]

Shaw has played around the UK, Europe and Australia ^[28] with artists such as Darren Hayman,^[29] Tom Paley (New Lost City Ramblers),^[30] Jack Hayter (Ex-Hefner),^[31] Neil Pennycook (Meursault),^[32] Extradition Order, Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences, Runaround Kids, Little Red and The Owl Service.^[33] Shaw has also seen endorsements from Nic Dalton of The Lemonheads.^[34]

During a radio interview on 12 August 2012, Audio Antihero founder Jamie Halliday revealed that Benjamin Shaw was working on new material for a future release with the label.^[35] The first piece of new material to surface would be the "T'ra F'now" instrumental on the Audio Antihero produced "Hüsker Doo-wop" Charity EP to raise money to repair damages to independent music organisations in New York following Hurricane Sandy.^{[36][37][38][39]} Shaw followed up his contribution to this charity EP with "This Christmas (I Just Want to be Left Alone)," a collaborative Christmas single with Fighting Kites to raise money for Shelter, Shaw also directed the music video.^{[40][41][42][43][44][45]} The single benefited from critical praise from online press and radio and saw support from Tom Robinson, Bush Radio, Jon Solomon's WPRB show and Rolling Stone.^{[46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54]}

On 14 January it was announced that Benjamin Shaw would releasing a new instrumental record entitled "Summer in the Box Room" on the Glass Reservoir label in February 2013.^[55][56] Two tracks from the record were premiered by Robert Rotifer on 4FM^[57] and GoldFlakePaint praised it as a "special kind of dour musical genius."^[58] Tom Ravenscroft would also air tracks from the release on his BBC 6 Music show.^[59]

Benjamin Shaw sometimes performs live with Neil Debnam (Fighting Kites/Broken Shoulder) and Kay Ishikawa (Comet Gain) as Benjamin Shaw Band.^[60]

Discography

Albums

• Rumfucker (Self-Release, 2010 / Rumfucker Recordings, 2016)
• There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet (Audio Antihero, 2011)
• Summer in the Box Room (Glass Reservoir, 2013)
• Goodbye, Cagoule World (Audio Antihero, 2014)
• Guppy (Kirigirisu Recordings, 2015)
• One Day We'll Laugh About All This (Self-Release, 2016) as Guppy

EPs/Mini-Albums/Sessions

• I Got the Pox, the Pox is What I Got – EP (Audio Antihero, 2009)
• Rumfucker (Self Release, 2010)
• WVUM Sessions – Split with Broken Shoulder (BarelyOut Recordings, 2011)
• Dandelion Session (BarelyOut Recordings, 2011)
• The Waiting Room Session (BarelyOut Recordings, 2014)
• Dandelion Sessions (BarelyOut Recordings, 2014)

Singles

• When I Fell Over in the City / The Carpeteer (Audio Antihero, 2011)
• Somewhere Over the M6 (Audio Antihero, 2011)
• This Christmas (I Just Want to be Left Alone) with Fighting Kites (Fika Recordings, 2011 / Audio Antihero, 2012)
• The Birds Chirp & The Sun Shines (Audio Antihero, 2012)
• Goodbye, Kagoul World (Audio Antihero, 2014)
• You & Me – EP split with Jack Hayter, Cloud and Broken Shoulder (Audio Antihero, 2014)

Compilation Appearances

• Cigarettes & Eggnog (HI54LOFI, 2009) – contributes "It's Christmas Time (For God's Sake)" (Nosferatu D2 cover) and hidden track
• Show Me A Word That Rhymes With Pavement (Filthy Little Angels, 2010) – contributes "Starlings of the Slipstream" (Pavement cover)
• Bob Hope would – for Japan (Audio Antihero, 2011) – contributes "Kick The Dog" / "When I Fell Over in the City" (Alt. Mix) and "Pig" + Artwork
• Some.Alternate.Universe – for FSID (Audio Antihero, 2012) – contributes "Long Ago & Oh So Far Away" + Artwork
• Audio Antihero's Commercial Suicide Sampler (Audio Antihero, 2012) – contributes "How To Test The Depth of a Well" + Artwork
• The Hüsker Doo-wop EP for New York (Audio Antihero/Hear It For NY, 2012) – contributes "T'ra F'now"
• Into The Light: Volume Two for Pussy Riot (Unwashed Territories, 2012) – contributes "This Christmas (I Just Want to be Left Alone)" with Fighting Kites
• I Love You & Stuff (HI54LOFI, 2013) – contributes "Internet Girlfriend"
• Audio Antihero Presents: "REGAL VS STEAMBOAT" for Rape Crisis (Audio Antihero, 2013) – contributes "Goodbye, Cagoule World (Live)" + Artwork
• Five Long Years - (Audio Antihero, 2014) - contributes "Goodbye, Kagoul World" / "Hello Sunshine" (Hidden) + Artwork
• New Emperors - (My Little Empire Records, 2015) - contributes "You & Me"
• an electrical storm - (Aetheric Records, 2015) - contributes "Le Pleasure Beach"
• BERN YR IDOLS (Bernie Sanders benefit compilation (Audio Antihero, 2016) - contributes "How to Test the Depth of a Well (Triple R Session" + Artwork + Mastering

Other credits

• Jack Hayter – Sucky Tart (Audio Antihero, 2011) – Artwork
• Broken Shoulder – Broken Shoulderrr (Audio Antihero, 2011) – Mastering
• Wartgore Hellsnicker – Moderate Rock (Audio Antihero, 2011) – Artwork
• Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences – The Wrong Life (Audio Antihero, 2011) – Artwork
• Fighting Kites & Broken Shoulder – Split (Audio Antihero, 2011) – Mastering
• Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences – You Can't Make Somebody Love You / Of Course I Stole The Train (Audio Antihero, 2011) – Artwork
• Broken Shoulder – Stiller Nite (Fika Recordings, 2011) – Artwork + Mastering
• Nosferatu D2 – It's Christmas Time (For God's Sake) (Fika Recordings, 2011) – Artwork
• Broken Shoulder – The Tape of Disquiet (Tape Your Mouth, 2012) – Mastering
• Jack Hayter – The Shackleton (Audio Antihero, 2012) – Artwork + Mastering
• Broken Shoulder – Holloway Exit Music / Fun Juice (Deathbomb Arc, 2012) – Mastering
• Nosferatu D2 – Live at the Spitz (Audio Antihero/BarelyOut Recordings, 2012) – Remastering
• Broken Shoulder – Crow Versus Crow session (BarelyOut Recordings, 2012) – Mastering
• D.E.A.D. – S.T.I.L.L. D.E.A.D. (GM Sounds, 2012) – Artwork
• a Singer of Songs – There is a Home for You (HI54LOFI, 2013) – Artwork
• Jack Hayter – Quotes (Audio Antihero, 2013) – Artwork
• Me and the Horse I Rode In On - Driving Home for Christmas (Self-Release, 2014) - Artwork
• Frog – Judy Garland (Audio Antihero, 2015) – Artwork
• Me and the Horse I Rode In On - When You're Down (EardrumsPop, 2015) - Artwork
• Frog – Kind of Blah (Audio Antihero, 2015) – Artwork
• Frog – Photograph (Audio Antihero, 2015) – Design + B-Side Mastering
• Nosferatu D2 – Older, Wiser, Sadder EP (Audio Antihero, 2015) – Design + Remastering
• Frog – Catchyalater (Audio Antihero, 2016) – Remixer (Track 4) + Mastering (Tracks 3 & 4)
• Charles Griffin Gibson – People (Self-Release, 2016) - Remastering
• Charles Griffin Gibson – Pictures (Self-Release, 2016) - Remastering
• CHUCK - My Band Is a Computer (Audio Antihero / Old Money Records) - Mastering

References

External links

• Benjamin Shaw official site
• Benjamin Shaw on Facebook
• Benjamin Shaw's BBC profile
• Benjamin Shaw's Audio Antihero profile
• Benjamin Shaw's Last.FM profile
• Benjamin Shaw's TLOBF profile
• Benjamin Shaw interview with This Is Fake DIY
• 405 Focus Session