This is a just a quick email to show the world I still exist. I hope you don't mind.
I'm am really sorry about the fact that I have not bombarded your mailbox since 2021, but as a matter of fact I have been very busy.
Like everybody else I have been seriously ill over the winter, but got back on my feet around April.
I have played much less in the last year than I used to during the 10 years before the pandemic, but these gigs have generally been fantastic and SOLD OUT in advance. Yes you have read properly: top sellers we are!
I have a couple of news for you
The bad first:
Two of my local venues have closed, the brilliant "Le Petit Balcon" has ceased trading, and "St Mary-in-The-Castle" has lost its public funding. More soon to follow it seems... So there will be no more gigs in Hastings for me for a while...
Now the good:
I have just recorded three tracks for the next feature film of James Marsh (director of "The Theory of everything") called "Dance First"about Samuel Beckett. I can't tell you anymore I'm afraid, you'll have to wait for the official release.
- In 2021 and 2022, I've SOLD OUT in advance all the gigs at NIGHTJAR, ORIOLE, NIGHTJAR CARNABY and RONNIE SCOTTS, among others. Please BOOK EARLY and SUBSCRIBE if you want to get tickets!
- I'm one of the headliners this week end at TWINWOOD FESTIVAL on Saturday and Sunday. It's NEAR SOLD OUT.
- I'm on the top of the bill at the RYE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL (next to Stanley Jordan no less!) on friday and monday. It's SOLD OUT.
- I'm doing a sit down concert in a church in TENTERDEN for a distinguished audience on september 2nd. SOLD OUT a month in advance.
- We'll be performing at the NIGHTHAWK SUMMER WEEKENDER on the 3rd of September, don't miss it there are some tickets left.
I think that's plenty of enough good stuff, but there is more
- I will announce some EUROPEAN GIGS soon
- I will release a NEW ORCHESTRA ALBUM for Xmas.
The last album I recorded was in 2016, as I was thinking of giving up music all together. In 2017 I bough a property in St Leonards-on-Sea (Hastings East Sussex). People say an Englishman's house is his castle, mine was a ruin, but that was all I could afford. I have spent five years doing it up, learning all the trades the hard way except electricity and gas fittings. I should have finished this winter and then go back to play and write music full time. Or so I hope...
NEW GIGS LISTING APP
I used to publish my gigs on SONGKICK because they were linking with iTunes and Spotify. But unless you play a massive venue with a registered partner ticket office, they won't link to the event, or display the address. Many people emailed me to complain, so i dropped Songkick.
I now use BANDSINTOWN. Please have a look, see what you think... I think it is a brilliant platform for artists and their audience. They actually list all events, and all box offices, plus you get a map, external links to my stuff and recommendations for similar music.
Please subscribe if you are not already subscribed, you will get push notifications for new gigs before others buy all the tickets.
Benoit Viellefon on your phone
Yes it's possible, in fact it's quite trendy. I've just developed a very simple website, so you can see all my stuff on your phone.
Have a look at https://linktr.ee/benoitviellefon and bookmark it!