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‘We have probably all got accustomed to the current wave of singer-songwriters who revel in fashion fixations and dreams of celebrity, production line pop pose and style over substance, as the accepted norm. But that’s what makes Ben McNeil a breath of fresh air and as Flying High kicks the album off you get to hear an echo of the drive and passion that made the post-punk New Wave and deft New Pop which followed so vibrant and edgy. That in itself would be reason enough to take this album to heart but throughout the following collection of songs McNeil wanders the back roads of acoustic pop, exploring roads less travelled, roads with the most interesting views, roads which those on the fast track to fame and fortune couldn’t even find on the map. I’m not saying this album couldn’t result in glittering accolades, but its nice to see him not just playing the obvious card. Set In The Back combines the fine pop ingredients that Crowded House took to their heart and rock is even on the

Armed with a battle weary acoustic guitar scarred with thousands of pick wounds, an elastic vocal range, and a swag of songs, Ben McNeil plays his unique style of acoustic indie rock with intent. A singer/songwriter from Nowra, influenced by Jeff Buckley, The Foo Fighters, Bon Iver and Radiohead among others, Ben grew up in the Shoalhaven though moved to Sydney in his early twenties, where he honed his song writing skills, and played solo gigs around the city, impressing those who came to see him, with his performing style and vocal range. Ben moved back to Nowra late 2008 and began writing new songs and recording them in his bedroom before venturing out to start performing solo covers gigs to help raise the cash to record an EP with local producer Syd Green (iOta, Dirty Lucy, Matt Tonks). Ben also ran a Crowdfunding campaign through the website ‘Rockethub’ that garnered 135% of his intended goal, through overwhelming support from his fans. The result is the 5 track EP, named