Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
In an era of grand and overproduced shows, Ben Howard is still taking the time to focus solely on the music. Surrounded by three pedalboards decorated with tape that spelled out “Free Palestine”, Ben kicked off his set by live looping backing tracks followed by soothing acoustic guitar melodies. The lights remained dim as a projector cast lofi nostalgic images behind him and his band.
This tour was originally supposed to take place in 2023 but was postponed until 2024. Because of that, this was the first time most of us got to hear material from Is It? live. With songs like “Days of Lantana” and “Couldn’t Make It Up” front loading the setlist, we could only imagine what was left in store for the night.
Given the monumental success of I Forget Where We Were, it feels at times that Noonday Dream gets overlooked. Ben pulled out the tracks “Nica Libre at Dusk” and “Someone in the Doorway,” reassuring longtime fans that the incredible sophomore album would not be forgotten. After a fifteen song set, Ben and his band left the stage which left the crowd roaring for an encore. This special two song encore contained “Walking Backwards” and “Little Plant” before leaving the stage for the night.
Following this tour, Ben will be celebrating ten years of I Forget Where We Were in Europe and tickets for remaining dates of both tours can be found HERE. Whether it’s the Is It? tour or the anniversary tour overseas, we hope you make it out to see this spectacular musician and let your worries wash away during his set.
