A Co Down man who has toured the world with George Ezra’s award-winning band has released his debut solo EP.
Multi-instrumentalist and singer Matt Benson admitted the album, which was five years in the making, has been a “labour of love”.
The musician, originally from Rostrevor, has toured with Ezra’s band as a trombonist.
He has performed at the likes of the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury, The Royal Albert Hall and the Brit Awards.
Matt’s illustrious musical career started in 2010 when he landed his first professional gig.
From 2013 to 2016, he joined the New Orleans virtuoso pianist Dom Pipkin to play in his band The Ikos, later touring with Ska band Bad Manners from 2015 to 2017.
He then joined Ezra’s band in 2017 and toured all over the UK, Europe and the US.
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Other notable recording and performance credits include The Pogues, Amelia Warner (Slow Moving Millie), legendary The Meters drummer Zigaboo Modeliste, and playing with the Hot 8 Brass Band at their residency in The Howling Wolf in New Orleans in 2019.
Now Matt has moved from the side of the stage to front and centre with his debut single, showcasing his vocals and impressive song-writing ability.
Matt Benson
His first solo track — Sit Back Down Again — is available to listen to across all streaming platforms, with his solo debut 12-track album being released later in the year with the help of producer Cian Boylan, who has worked with David Gray.
The lyrics of Matt’s debut song paint a beautiful picture inspired by the life, and the tragic early death of his sister Catherine, better known as Kathy.
“On the surface, the song is about someone you love leaving to chase a dream or go on an adventure,” he explained.
Matt Benson with his sister Kathy
“It’s about knowing that person has to go and wishing them well, but at the same time wanting them to just sit back down again and stay a little longer.
“And on a deeper level it’s about my sister leaving me and me wishing she could have stayed longer before she passed away.
“At its heart, it’s a song about the bittersweet beauty of missing someone you love.
“I wrote Sit Back Down Again in a tiny shoebox house, but the song itself actually came to me in a dream — believe it or not.
“I woke up with the melody and feeling still lingering, like it had been waiting for me to catch it. I knew there was something cool about it. Some songs take years, but this one arrived fully formed, just waltzed in while I was asleep and demanded to be written.”
Matt sings and plays a range of instruments, including piano and his beloved trombone, which feature on his upcoming solo album.
His relationship with the brass instrument started in a strange and serendipitous way after a fire broke out at his dad’s music shop in Belfast when he was a child.
Matt Benson
“My dad’s music shop was blown up during the Troubles in Belfast around 1994,” he explained.
“No one was hurt, but the shop was completely trashed, all except for a little student model trombone that was found under a pile of smoking rubble on the top floor.
“It was still in working order, and between you and me I think the fire gave it something a bit special.
“My Da brought it home for me and we spent that evening cleaning it up in the kitchen sink. He taught me how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in C major that night.”
Matt has live gigs coming up across Belfast, Londonderry and Donegal, with tickets still available for some of the dates.