Breaking up is hard to do.
Brisbane singer-songwriter Ben Mackay has made the best of it though with his new, solo project Beneb, which he started after his last two bands parted ways. “I was just too involved in it,” Ben says.
“I got too emotionally attached and saw being in a band as a relationship really. I diverted all my emotions to them because why not? I put all my efforts into the bands.
“One was from high school, so I’d stayed in it since then and stayed in that naivety bubble for ages. Everyone else moved on and I thought 'shit, I'm left here; I better do something with my life now'. So I’m trying to do more with other music.”
Ben says Beneb is a chance for him to rediscover his passion for music and define his individual sound.
The results speak for themselves, with the release of two singles, ‘Burning’ and ‘Temporary’. “My other bands, one was a lot heavier and the other was more poppy,” Ben explains. “So with this one I’ve tried to find the balance between the two, hone in on my original, musical influences as a teenager, and try to recapture that youthfulness and fun I think I lost in the heat of the other bands. It's like a re-self-discovery of music.
“A lot of these songs come from me dealing with the break-ups of the other bands and also discussing and exploring some experiences I’ve had from drugs and other things.
"Specifically with ‘Temporary’, a lot of it has to do as well with those times of anxiety and panic. It's a train or string of thoughts I used to tell myself to bring me back down to earth… [but] I’ve left it open to interpretation, a little bit vague.”
Beneb performs at The Triffid in August for the launch of this year’s Jungle Love Festival alongside Baskervillain, Bullhorn, Lastlings and more. Although a solo performer, when Ben performs live he is accompanied by a band featuring Alistair Richardson (The Cairos, Zefereli), Bill Bingley (Hey Geronimo), Dean Gordon (Sheppard) and Guy Richards.
“I'm pretty excited because it's at The Triffid, it's such an epic venue and I want to take advantage of the opportunity,” he says. “I’ve been thinking about refining the set a bit and making it more of a show, maybe have a few more guests to really make it sound huge and more engaging. It's shaping up to be quite a spectacle.”
Looking ahead, Ben says he has learnt some valuable lessons from his past and is taking things slowly, but fans can look forward to another release as well as a tour from Beneb before the year is out.
“The plan is we're going to release another song this year, hopefully in September or October, and do a little tour. Then early next year I might put an EP out. I’m just taking my time.”
With his band troubles behind him, Ben is looking forward to both the challenges and rewards inherent with life as a solo artist.
“I’m so used to relying on that collaborative effort to bring the performance to the stage. Whereas now I feel like I’m the one who everyone is watching all the time, so there's a bit more pressure but also I can't get angry at anyone except myself so it's a lot less stressful in my output.”
Beneb performs at the Jungle Love Festival launch party at The Triffid 6 August. Beneb also plays The Zoo 15 August.
