5:40pm Tuesday 13th April 2010
By Warwick Payne
BEN Goddard may only be 21, but the Winchester musician has already experienced much of what the industry can throw at you.
He has tasted success as part of Three Kings, past winners of Winchester Battle of the Bands.
He has also been in two other groups – Hellcyon and Hymns and Poems – which like Three Kings have since broken up.
Now he is going it alone, and spoke to the Chronicle ahead of the launch of his debut album, Hearts and Arrows, at the Talking Heads in Southampton.
He said: “I’ve been in a few band break ups, where people get jobs or head off to university.
“One of the things that is better about being solo is that you can’t break up with yourself.”
He has set himself a target of making it big or calling it a day within five years, and has enlisted some old cohorts to help.
His current backing band contains Owen Feeney and Tom Sharratt, both former members of Three Kings, along with guitarist Daniel Loughlin.
Whether the line-up remains as it stands depends on how many concerts Ben will be playing, and he is aiming to play a lot of them.
As for the album, which has eight tracks, he recorded it in Botley and the CD is now available online.
With his backing group, he performed several of the songs at the Talking Heads on Saturday, April 10, to officially launch the record.
On hearing the music, the selling points of Three Kings, who were a remarkable skilled and well-drilled band for a bunch of teenagers, are still intact.
But Ben also has an added maturity now, with soul-searching lyrics, guitar riffs that take their lead from the blues, and thought-provoking songs.
This is pretty profound stuff for a young musician, and if you like high quality material, his album and live shows are worth seeking out.
For more details visit http://bengoddard.co.uk/.
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