Biography

Born and raised in London, Ben first picked up a bass guitar aged 16 and was simply told to ‘keep up with the rest of the band’.

It proved to be a defining moment in his life: upon leaving school he studied bass guitar at the Academy of Contemporary Music, whilst also commencing studies as a classically-trained choral singer. After graduating he held posts in the choirs of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin and Norwich Cathderal before enrolling in a music degree at Cambridge University, where he sang in the University Chamber Choir as well as the choirs of King’s College and Jesus College. As a student he also performed in and directed numerous function bands, jazz bands, musical theatre bands and operas.

Since qualifying with a master’s degree in music, Ben has carved his way as a much in-demand dep and session bass guitarist, double bassist and synth bassist around the UK and in his home-town area of Bedfordshire where he is known for his ability to complement any line-up with little to no notice (the current record is 30min…). He has continued to perform in a range of different styles, including traditional choral and orchestral repertoire, jazz bands both big and small, tribute bands, original projects, acoustic folk ensembles - and of course the daily bread-and-butter of pop & rock covers. He regularly receives praise for his professionalism both in his meticulous preparation and impeccably maintained high-quality equipment, including fully wireless IEMs. In recent years Ben has been recruited to join rock & blues originals band Albany Down, for which he provides a solid bassline in addition to: collaborative songwriting; keyboard, double bass & acoustic guitar; backing vocals & BV arrangements; and mixing & video production. He is also a regular member of: function bands Soundhaus, Fascination and brand-new project The Mabels; Motown, soul & disco revue band Soul of the Town; tribute triple-bill Coldplay it Again, Oasis Here Now & Stereoconics; and the house band at The Standard, Bedford High Street’s foremost music venue. He is a regular dep for Apollo Music.

In addition to his performing career, Ben is heavily involved in education. For eight years he taught classroom music at Bedford Girls’ School, where he was instrumental in developing the Junior School music curriculum, directed choirs and bands, and catered to the music technology and recording requirements of the school community. Although his performance career has forced him to give up teaching, the school continues to employ him as a sound engineer and visiting music teacher. He regularly volunteers for charity Electric Umbrella, providing musical experiences and education for learning disabled people. He is also in demand as a private tutor, offering several instruments, music theory, music technology, maths, physics and English.

Ben is an experienced conductor of both choirs and orchestras, and is proficient in a number of other instruments including electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, piano & keyboard, church organ, tin whistle and the kazoo. He is also a published composer with Encore Publications and his work has been recognised in the Royal Philharmonic Society’s annual awards.

As well as taking him to all corners of the UK, Ben’s touring has included the US East & West Coasts, Ireland, Ukraine, India, Palestine and Italy. A regular member of the double bass section for Bedford Symphony Orchestra and Bedford Sinfonia as well as guest for Milton Keynes Sinfonia and St Alban’s Symphony Orchestra, he has recorded with various ensembles both in studios and on location and has performed alongside the Temptations, Professor Green, Clean Bandit, Magnetic Man, Pixie Lott and the Vengaboys. This one time in Bedford town square he even performed from the back of a lorry to a group of old ladies walking their dogs, and having fulfilled that dream the next item on his bucket list is to play a gig with fewer in the audience than in the band. [Edit: this achievement has now been unlocked.]