Northumbrian singer-songwriter Benedict Hawkin is a new discovery of mine, producing gorgeous alt-folk songs that really get inside your head. His song, Harbin, caught my attention upon the first listen – I hope our readers loved it too! Find out more about Benedict below!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a single titled Harbin. What can you tell us about the track?
Harbin is a donkey at the Leeds Sanctuary. I found out during a visit there that donkeys can be used for addiction therapy. The song’s narrator is a recovering addict reflecting on the hard life of a sanctuary donkey during a therapy session. The narrator perceives a connection due to their shared hardships—abandonment and near-death experiences—but this supposed connection is entirely a matter of faith because the donkey can’t verbally express itself. As I recount this I’m laughing at how bleak this all sounds because to friends and fans it’s just called ‘The Donkey Song’, which sounds like something The Wiggles would do.
How has the reception to Harbin been so far, and where can the song be purchased?
The reception has been very kind! Lots of descriptions have been to say it’s pretty or beautiful, which I didn’t really expect owing to the aforementioned bleak subject matter and the janky ‘blue notes’ that appear in the guitar line. You can purchase it on Bandcamp, it’s pay as you feel if I recall correctly.
Do you plan to release any more singles in the near future?
I’m occupied with making an album and it’s all very dependent on whether I can find the time between sessions, but I would certainly love to, if only to maintain a presence while the longer recording project is underway.
Do you plan to release an EP or an album anytime soon?
I’d love to say yes but ‘soon’ might be a bit of a stretch given how much time albums can take to make if you’re doing it DIY. I’ve had my sights set on making one for some time, so I hope I finish it—fingers crossed—in 2023.
Did the pandemic hinder your work much?
Yes. Aside from being catastrophic for live performance, I felt creatively dead during the period. I didn’t write a single song for a full year while mostly cooped up indoors, which really freaked me out as I’ve pretty consistently written a couple a month since I was thirteen or so. I’m back in a creative groove now and I’m very much savouring it.
Your music has quite a folky sound. What/who influences you most as an artist? What have you been listening to recently?
I come from a folk background—my mum plays the concertina and smallpipes and I’ve been attending folk sessions since I was seven years old—but until recently I haven’t put out any music that could be described that way. Over the pandemic I got really into two songwriters, Stan Rogers and Jez Lowe, who kind of showed me how funny and nuanced and textured straightforward storytelling in a song can be. Rogers writes songs mostly about ordinary working people, and I suppose this is one definition of what folk music is. You only need to listen to his songs once to get the meaning—there is nothing abstract or allegorical to try and ‘puzzle out’—but I still want to listen to his songs over and over again, and I often pick up on details I missed the first time. He and Lowe blew the doors open for me on this style of songwriting and I’ve been trying to do that ever since I got really into them. I also got a nice steel-string guitar right before the pandemic so I guess it’s inevitable that I would ‘go acoustic’.
What is the writing and recording process like for you?
I stumble across riffs, melodies, and progressions mostly by accident and I usually save them for a rainy day. When I encounter a concept for a song l’ll try and fit it into an existing bit of music I’ve written and develop the lyrics from there. The dumber the concept for a song sounds, the more fun it is to try and turn it into a serious tune. Recording is always painful. I do some of it myself and rely on talented friends to help with the stuff I’m not good at like engineering and production. I always do it on the cheap; maybe that’s why it’s so hard!
You’re based between Newcastle and Leeds. What is the music scene like in your part of the world?
Excellent. Leeds, where I’m living now, is great for folk music among other stuff. Newcastle was excellent for loads of reasons but it’s always had a great DIY and experimental music scene. I miss my old music community in Newcastle quite a lot but I still get up there quite a bit (pandemic notwithstanding) to see and play gigs.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
I’m playing in Leeds at Northern Guitars on 19 January and in Newcastle at Bobiks on 31 March. Come on down!
Any last words for the fans?
One of my very lame New Year’s resolutions is to ‘try a martini’ for the first time (not very folk, I know). These days it’s very easy to get espresso, pornstar and apple martinis, but where are the regular martinis? Nowhere apparently! If you’re a fan and you also own a bar, please consider putting this classic on the menu.