When: 7pm on Sunday 1 October 2023
Where: The Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LE

We’re pleased to be working with Ben P Williams for the first time – performing with Shimna!

Ben P Williams is a difficult artist to pigeonhole and is all the better for it. Discovering The Beatles LPs in his parents cupboard aged five, he instantly became obsessed and began a voyage of musical discovery which has lasted his whole life. Moulding the classic song-writing sound of Paul Simon with the laid-back nature of Jack Johnson, Ben draws inspiration from the greats while injecting his own wit and imagination for lyrics which perfectly encapsulate relatable experiences to make you smile.

As a guitarist, Ben has worked with Grammy Award-winning producers, appeared on BBC 1, ITV and Channel 5, and played concerts as the support act for major artists such as Nile Rodgers and Chic, Will Young, Mick Hucknall and Lisa Stansfield. He has supported artists on European tours and at festivals around the world including South By South West Festival in Texas.

After years of working on other peoples’ projects, Ben woke up one day and randomly wrote a song by and for himself. This first song opened the floodgates and was the catalyst for Ben to pursue his solo endeavours as a singer-songwriter. His debut album, Who Do You Think You Are?, was released in 2015 to critical acclaim and received airplay on BBC Radio 2 (Dermot O’Leary Show) and BBC Introducing Manchester.

Ben has since released three further albums, Put It On Ice in 2017, the stripped back Minimum of Fuss in 2019 and Under The Radar in 2023. These albums have seen support from BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Introducing.

Ben will be performing with Shimna, an outrageously talented musician and songwriter who has recently moved to Manchester from New Zealand, and is already taking the Manchester music scene by storm.

‘So beautiful’ – Janice Long, BBC Radio 2

‘The best song of the year so far’ – BBC Radio Manchester

Opening the show is Harriet Dagnall. Harriet Dagnall has been writing and performing since the age of fourteen. Originally from Bolton, she was raised on an eclectic range of music and still draws influence from the likes of Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac and Cocteau Twins. Whilst other influences include The Japanese House, Alvvays and The War on Drugs, cut her and she bleeds Dad music.

Combining elements of dream-pop and indie rock with soaring ethereal vocals, Harriet reluctantly refers to herself under the catch-all ‘alt-pop’. Her debut EP, Dead Time, released in 2022, received support from BBC Introducing, Alex Rainbird and Tom Robinson’s Fresh on The Net. She is currently working on her second EP, which she hopes to release next year.

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