Benjamin Shaw Live Album
- Written by Marky Edison
Look out for the debut live album from acclaimed misanthropist Benjamin Shaw, the cult artist who was accidentally born in Canada before growing in Blackpool, spent miserable years in London before relocating to Melbourne, Australia. This release sees him traveling to a church in Krems, Austria for donaufestival 2019 and his first live performance in five years. The lead single ‘A Brand New Day (Live at donaufestival)’ is available now.
Evolving and experimenting, this performance sees him reimagine material from his discography with flashes of glimmering electronica, frozen R&B, glitchy beats, post-rock ambience and more as his fragile vocal carries him through songs about hope, hate and hurt. “It’s like I have a mini-breakdown between each song…”
Shaw has released records with Audio Antihero in New York, Kirigirsu Recordings in Japan, Glass Reservoir in London and more. Recorded live on May 4 2019 in Krems, Austria for donaufestival 2019. This was Benjamin Shaw's first live performance in five years.
The material performed here is taken albums like Megadead, Rumfucker, There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet, Guppy, Goodbye, Cagoule World and One Day We'll Laugh About All This. Dissected and reconstructed, the material here evolves often from lo-fi acoustic beginnings to an electronic pop that is both glistening and broken, like shattered glass. Shaw's fractured and frail vocal emotes misanthropic misery over an ocean of beats and waves of sound. Perfectly beautiful and beautifully imperfect.
Anyone who saw Benjamin Shaw performing live in and around London before his move to Australia and live hiatus will find a totally new sound and experience in these recordings.