London based duo Ben Moorhouse and Leo Duncan, aka Ten Fé, will play Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach on March 11 in support of their new album Hit The Light. The album is the result of four years of work, which has led the duo from busking on the London Underground, through a bedroom in Birmingham, to eventually recording in Berlin.
The record seamlessly fuses intricate contemporary electronics and the band’s signature energetic mix of Americana, Manchester baggy and soulful vocals. Andy Howells recently put questions to Ben Moorhouse of the band.
How did you first start out in music?
We’ve both been in bands, writing, singing, playing, since way back in our school days. After leaving, I think it was the main thing that each of us wanted to pursue. I went to music college in London, Leo moved down to London from Birmingham with a band he was in. We both knew each other back then, through mutual friends, but were doing our own things, in different scenes around London.
Who or what has inspired you most on your musical journey?
After being involved in music in London for so long, it was really inspiring to start writing songs with each other. We’d known each other a long time, and had always met up for the love of jamming and playing old rock n roll songs. But when we started doing our own stuff together, we found that our love of the same music – unashamedly, those old rock and roll songs – really fed into it, in a way that felt different, more natural, less self-conscious than what we’d been up to, the scenes we’d been in, up until that point.
Can you give us some background about your latest release?
When we signed to Budde for publishing, we finally had some money and used the advance to go and record an album. We made week long trips up to Leo’s dad’s house in Birmingham, would go for runs in the morning, and write all day. After a summer of doing that, we had an album’s worth of material. Our manager passed the demos on to Ewan Pearson, who got back and said he wanted to record them with us. So we headed out that autumn to Berlin, and did it the 3 of us in his studio.
You’re touring shortly are you looking forward to that?
Yeah, massively. It’s been a long time coming for us. This is the biggest tour we’ve ever done with the band, we’re gonna be out touring the album in UK and Europe. And the guys who joined last year are really taking it to another level.
What can people expect from your forthcoming Cardiff gig?
We’re gonna be rehearsing constantly for the next month or so. So we’re aiming big for this tour. Expect to see a bunch of hairy men, singing their hearts out, and getting down to some deep organic rock n roll. Plus it’s the first time we’ve played in Wales, so really looking forward to that.
What are you enjoying listening to at the moment?
Maybe its the time of year, but I’ve been listening to a lot of recordings from back in the day of people like Patti Smith, and Allen Ginsberg performing their poems at poetry readings in New York.
What else have you got planned for the rest of the year?
After we do this tour, we’ll be playing at Bonnaroo festival in early summer. We’ve got a string of dates in the US around that time too and then back to Europe for a summer of festivals. So can’t wait for that. We’re also keeping on writing so we’ve got loads of new material coming!
Keep In touch With Ten Fe online:
facebook.com/tenfemusic
twitter.com/tenfemusic
soundcloud.com/tenfemusic
instagram.com/tenfemusic
- Visit clwb.net for ticket information.