Blues guitarist Ben Poole has been gaining rave reviews from critics and fellow musicians alike. Alexandra Rucki spoke to him ahead of his return to Putney’s Half Moon.

Alexandra Rucki: What can audiences expect to see at a Ben Poole gig?

Ben Poole: Blues, rock and soul played with passion and excitement. A modern approach to tried and tested styles of music that are rooted in the 1960s and 1970s. A killer band made up of musicians with years of experience touring across the globe.

AR: Who else is in the band and what instruments do they play?

BP: Craig Bacon on drums, Mat Beable on bass, Sam Mason on keys, Amy Eftekhari and Crissie Rhodes on backing vocals.

AR: How did you first get into guitar playing?

BP: My dad was a musician so music and musical instruments were always around the house. I started playing acoustic guitar when I was nine, but really got into it aged 12 when I heard the song Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix. That was the song that really started it all for me and made me want to get an electric guitar and take playing seriously.

AR: Who have been the biggest influences on your music?

BP: The aforementioned Jimi Hendrix as well as blues/rock artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Healey. Richie Kotzen, Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, Free, Led Zeppelin. The “new breed” of blues roots artists such as John Mayer and Jonny Lang. On a vocal level I listen to a lot of soul music – Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Al Green, as well as Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, etc. I got into country music for a little while that really developed my guitar playing style. I studied Brad Paisley, Danny Gatton, Brent Mason and Albert Lee extensively.

AR: How does it feel to be described as “the guitarist to watch out for” in music magazines? Does it put pressure on artists to live up to the praise?

BP: I try not to think about it, to be honest, and just do my thing. I personally don’t think that my guitar playing/technique is particularly virtuosic – I think what maybe comes across the most is the passion and soulfulness of what I play and sing, rather than the technical ability… although I can pull out some fast runs if needed. I try to play to the song, and try not to overplay too much, although as a guitar player am always guilty of that sometimes.

AR: Which are your favourite venues to perform at?

BP: I have some really special memories from small, intimate venues of only maybe 100 people, such as Cafe Koster in Holland, to bigger theatre type venues, such as the Royal Albert Hall, which we played last week for the London Blues Festival, right to the big festivals such as Breda Barst festival that we did in Holland last year to 6,000 people. I have to admit that I am looking forward to coming back to the Half Moon again at the end
of this month as I love the venue, the sound and the type of cool, excitable but respectful audience we usually get there.

 


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