Gig Reports
Ben Mills & Boogie Night At The Village Hotel, Maidstone
7th March 2008
Sat in the Forest Suite of the Village Hotel in Maidstone, the tension and excitement was mounting. We'd waited what seemed an eternity for this gig, our last being in the Music Room back in November, and the withdrawl symptoms had hit us hard. We were seated at tables with just a small dance floor separating us from the low-level stage which Ben was due to step onto at any minute. The atmosphere was electrifying.
Finally the band appeared and started to play "Bring It On Home To Me". They were joined shortly after, to deafening screams, by Ben looking as sexy as ever! He took his place behind his keyboard, asked everybody how they were doing and said that it was good to be back in Maidstone. Then he joined in with the band and started to sing, at which point my spine began to tingle and goosebumps appeared all over my arms. Video footage of the Music Room gigs had kept me going through the long winter months, but oh how I'd missed hearing that voice live!
Next up was "Ain't No Sunshine", but before this Ben thanked everybody for coming and, with a huge smile in our direction, mentioned the "Ben Mills fan club". It was good to see you again too, Ben!
On to "Try A Little Tenderness" which Ben's voice lends itself perfectly to and then one of my absolute favourites, "Handbags & Gladrags". For me, when Ben sings this the whole world stops and I'm absorbed totally by both the song itself and Ben's wonderful vocals. Just thinking about it is enough to get the butterflies going and I don't think I will ever tire of hearing Ben perform it.
Upping the beat a little we were treated to "Express Yourself" and then the fantastic "I Got A Woman", "When The Saints Go Marching In" and "Rockin' Robin". This medley puts a real spring in my step, a huge grin on my face and I find it incredibly difficult to sit still, so as soon as it started I was up on my feet for a bit of 'boogie-woogie" on the side!
The ever popular "Maggie May" and "Like A Rolling Stone" finished off the first half of the set and then we had a short interlude to catch our breath and get the next round of drinks in.
Now, earlier in the evening I'd had an opportunity to speak to Ben and I handed him a t-shirt I'd had made, purely for a bit of fun as a follow on from a comment I'd made about the "Organic Love Machine" t-shirt that he wears. I honestly never expected Ben to wear it and told him that, but he said he would put it on for the second half of the show. Well, 15 minutes or so and a change of t-shirt later Ben re-appeared on stage sporting his new Tee! Unfortunately it was a little on the snug side as I'd gone with the 'slim-fit' style and they really do live up to their name so I doubt we'll ever see Ben in it again, but just to see him in it once was money well spent. Besides, when all's said and done, it matched perfectly with those snug-fitting jeans!
Anyway, back to the music.....
To open the second half of the set Ben was joined on stage by sax player Simon Bates for the hauntingly beautiful "Smile", then the rest of the guys returned for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and I was instantly up on my feet again, along with a few other BMO members. This was followed by "Superstition" and "Pull Up To The Bumper" and I could resist the urge to get on the dance floor no longer!! Accompanied by Nix, I made my way to the front and then coaxed the rest of BMO to join us, which was greeted with a huge smile and a "That's what this dance floor is for." from Ben!
Next on the set list was "Funky Nassau" and part way through Ben spied Jeanette on the dance floor in her rather fetching BenMillsOnline t-shirt. With a gorgeously sexy grin on his face, Ben stepped down off the stage and made a beeline for Jeanette to give her a hug and a kiss. Needless to say, it made Jeanette's day!!
Keeping the tempo going, Ben and the guys played "Play That Funky Music" next and then followed this with a touch of reggae, mixed in with a little bit of Ska, in the form of "Stir It Up", "A Message To You Rudy" and "One Step Beyond". The last time I'd heard Ben do this was on the beach in Whitstable at the Old Neptune and it was so good to hear it again. I think one of the reasons Ben appeals to me so much is because he's so versatile. I have such a varied taste in music and there are very few musicians out there today who can cover all aspects of the music I love. Ben can, and he does it so well too.
Needing a break from the dancing, we took to our seats for "With A Little Help From My Friends" but we were into the finale after that so it wasn't long before we were all back on our feet!
The last song of the night was "Stay With Me" and the audience put their vocals to the test as we all sang along while we danced. As always, there was that disappointing feeling as the song came to an end and we knew the night was over, but with the shouts for more the guys treated us to one final song, "Long Train Running".
So, that was it. The gig that we had all waited so long for was over - seemingly in the blink of an eye! We'd had to wait a long time for it, but oh my word was it worth it!!
As always we would like to extend a huge thank you to the Events Team at the Village Hotel for booking Ben. It was a fantastic night and we really hope to see him return there sometime soon.
We would also like to say a massive thank you to Ben and his band - Steve Higgs (Lead Guitar), Simon Bates (Saxophone), Felix Krish (Base Guitar) and Rik Kent (Drums). We love you all! And to Ben, personally, thank you so much for taking time afterwards to chat to everybody. You really are one terrific guy.
Report by Saara - Webmaster & Co-Admin
Photographs by Chris - Sue's Hubby!