Acclaimed sideman Matt Benson steps into the spotlight with the release of his debut album Sit Back down Again on 11th July, with a new single release ‘Broken Masterpiece’ released one month ahead on 11th June. ‘Broken Masterpiece’ is a visceral exploration of childhood imagination gone rogue. Set to a lurching shadow-soaked groove, it tells the story of a supernatural figure waiting beneath a tree for the grown-up child to climb down. Using the supernatural as a metaphor for the unconscious, the song references the darker sides of our nature, the wild, untamed parts that we tell ourselves don’t exist, but of course they do. Matt says, ‘I like to play with the idea that the childhood monsters I talked myself out of believing in were actually real all along as expressed in the song’s hook: it’s not what you believe, it’s what believes in you. This is my favourite song from the album.’
This is the fourth single to be taken from the upcoming album. The first single, the title track ‘Sit Back Down Again’, makes for a compelling introduction to the rest of the album and was released in March. The second single was ‘Strangers and Angels’, a tale of a couple separated but reunited by fate. A nostalgic cinematic reflection on love, regret, and the moments that slip away, it’s buoyed by a jazzy piano riff and a great brass section. Third single, ‘The Way It Should Be’ is what Matt describes as a classic ‘pay-off’ song, i.e. an old-school songwriting style with a punchline twist.
Loss, family and moving on are recurring motifs throughout the album, alongside adventures, romance, fleeting encounters and a few alcohol-soaked narratives from the now teetotal artist. Predominantly autobiographical but with flashes of fictional embellishments, its stories include a semi-reconstructed recounting of how his grandparents met (‘Nancy and the Soldier’), and a reflection on advice passed down the generations (‘Glory’). Elsewhere, ‘The London Line’ is a barroom romance set on the day that Matt moved back to Ireland after ten years in London, and provides an attention-grabbing first lyric: ‘She had a lust for irreverence and a loathing for the self.’
It all adds up to make Sit Back Down Again a cathartic release for its creator. Just as importantly, it’s an immersive experience for listeners that’s instantly relatable in its snapshots of universal emotions.
Matt Benson has had an illustrious career playing trombone as a sideman since his first professional gig in 2010. He’s been in George Ezra’s band since 2017, and played with Bad Manners, The Pogues, Neil Hannon, Hot 8 Brass Band and Brian May amongst many others. He has played at Glastonbury, WOMAD, The Tonight Show, Jools Holland’s Hootenanny, The Royal Albert Hall, and The Brit Awards. Quincy Jones has called him ‘a great trombone player’ and Paul Sanchez (composer for HBO series Treme) has said ‘this guy can play his ass off’!
Matt’s career on trombone started in a strange and serendipitous way. In his own words: ‘My dad’s music shop was blown up during the Troubles in Belfast around 1994. No one was hurt, but the shop was completely trashed, all except for a little student model trombone that was found under a pile of smoking rubble on the top floor. It was still in working order, and between you and me I think the fire gave it something a bit special. My Da brought it home for me and we spent that evening cleaning it up in the kitchen sink. He taught me how to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in C major that night.’ And out of the ashes, a musician was born.
After a long career playing trombone for other bands, Matt is now ready to move from the side of the stage to front and centre with the release of Sit Back Down Again. You can catch him live at the following venues:
Fri. 20 June Club Beo, Leo’s Tavern Donegal
Thurs. 26 June Shamrock Bar, Falcarragh, Donegal
Sun. 6 July The American Bar, Belfast
Fri. 22 Aug. The Poppy Lane sessions Galway
Sat. 6 Sept. Black Box, Belfast with The New Leaves
Fri. 19 Sept. The Duncairn, Belfast.
Sun. 14 Sept Connollys of Leap, Cork
Sat. 20 Sept. Whelan’s Upstairs, Dublin.
Sun. 28 Sept. Dolans Upstairs, Limerick
‘Sit Back Down Again’ on 11 July