Ben Westbeech Live @ Orange Rooms, Southampton...

Despite a heavy weekend of man vs beer there was no way I was going to miss seeing Ben Westbeech perform live. Set in the ultra trendy Orange Rooms it was a perfect setting for one of the classier performers making music in 2007.

While warming up to a soundtrack of soulful house flavours and funk a random appearence of Kano next to me at the bar certainly raised a few eye brows. After meeting a few Southampton FC players through Craig David while filming T4 Transmission a few weeks back he was hanging with them and enjoying the attention from the spray on tan collective around. I doubt that will make the Heat spotted section so I'll give you a moment to indulge on that exclusive...

Right back to the music. With full live band in tow Ben Westbeech commanded the stage turning this intimate crowd out and having them shake their money makers to the majority of Welcome To The Best Years Of Your Life.

Hearing live tracks like Get Silly, So Good Today and Dance With Me were highlights, but his band added to many of the tracks with extra break sections which gave them new life.

Being a d&b and jungle head Ben had his band pay a little homage to that part of his make up but it served only as a warm up to the last track and heater on the album track Get Closer, which cut half away through to DJ Marky It's The Way and had the crowd at its most liveliest, ending a very polished and energetic performance from one of the artists of the year. So underlooked and criminally missed off of a Mercury nomination because Indie is so in vogue right now, but Ben Westbeech's breakthrough will come soon.

...Kano drank wine by the bottle, is that grimey enough for ya?