In conversation with Spielmann…
Interview by Kieran Tibbert

Spielmann (AKA Ben Lewis) is a music recording artist, producer and promoter active in the Leeds music scene, a city producing a diverse range of impressive material at the moment. Ben has been a central part of this scene for years, from guitarist in local indie group Menace Beach to being a prominent producer and live promoter. Spielmann is Ben finally stepping into his own spotlight as an artist, delivering fist-pumping, feel good sonics with bitingly witty lyrics. I was lucky enough to chat with Ben about his upcoming EP and what the rest of the year has to offer for him.

How are you doing, and where in the world are you right now?

Ben: I’m very well, thanks. I am currently on a flight from New York to Seattle, using Wi-Fi, in the air, which is blowing my primitive mind. Off on a big, amazing honeymoon trip, dragging my wife around various ageing indie boy pilgrimages to places like KEXP and Ameoba, which excites me a lot.

To start off with, where does your stage persona/name of Spielmann come from? Is it a standout or cover-up?

It’s a family name, my mum is German and Spielmann was her mum’s maiden name, literally translates to the man who plays or something similar which felt pretty apt, as well as properly translating as ‘jester’ or something similar which is event more apt! It keeps a family name alive as well which is a nice addition. Remember to pronounce it right though, SHPEEL NOT SPEEL! Persona wise, it’s quite a lot of me in there, just a bit more of an obnoxious version, Spielmann’s telling you straighter than Ben is, they’re both good guys though.

You previously played as a guitarist for Menace Beach – how did this help kick-start what has so far been a successful career for you?

Yeah, MB are one of a long list of various bands and projects I’ve been involved in in various capacities, guitarist, songwriter, producer, driver, tour dad, friend, confidant. I guess all of it has contributed to where I’m at now with my music in its own various ways, varying from music taste all the way through to how I want to present the project in a live and on record context, gaining confidence to do what I’m doing and do it on my own. I can also mention it in press releases, that seem to help too. Career feels like a generous term for what I’m doing though!

You’ve appeared at various festivals and shows in the past, including The Great Escape among others. Do you have a particular favourite or a standout memory from one?

Green Man last summer was a pretty big moment; I was playing at 11.45am and it was hammering it down so was stood behind the stage expecting it to empty, got out there and it was super full, with people singing along to songs, people that I didn’t know as well, so that was a pretty affirming moment that what I’m doing was connecting with people, which meant a lot. At Deer Shed I got heckled by 2 seven-year-olds who were doing cartwheels in front of the stage throughout the whole set, that was a great experience too, really helped me develop the crowd work section of the set.

Before we get onto your new EP, you’ve recently released a new lead single, 10,000 hours, which was lucky enough to be premiered on BBC 6 Music. How would you describe this single, and how has the overall reaction been to the track so far?

It’s great, that’s description number one. It started life as me and my friend Harry (who plays in the very good band Adult DVD) talking about wanting to just write some out and out indie bangers, so I made the initial instrumental to send him which was super guitar-y. After a while it kept sticking in my head, so I decided to go back to it with more of a Spielmann hat on, whacked some synths and stuff on it. So yeah, I was trying to write a bit of a banger and think I’ve achieved that, in my opinion anyway. Lyrically I’m always trying to write something that might be a bit off the beaten track, shoehorn some humour into it, doesn’t always need to be so serious, I’m not a particularly serious person a lot of the time so it’s nice to reflect that. Reaction is a funny one, my mum said she liked it, I’ve got a group of friends who all play in bands and we send each other demos and ideas of songs and stuff like that, and they’ve all said it’s all the best thing I’ve done so far, so that’s enough validation for me to put it on the internet.

Your new EP is set for release at the end of May, called Fifteen Minutes with Spielmann. What can you tell us about this release?

It’s 4 tracks, it’s fifteen minutes long, it’s being released via EMI north and Launchpad in Leeds. I’ve decided to release it on a bag of coffee, I do these things that feel like good ideas at the time then end up being long winded (see the Spielmann-on-Spielmann videos on my Instagram). My thinking is that people like memorabilia, something a bit different, it’s fifteen mins long, pop on the kettle and have a cup of coffee whilst enjoying it, plus pressing vinyl when you have about 4 fans is pretty pricey. Other than that, it’s just really good, I put loads of effort in and think it’s the best thing I’ve done so far musically and lyrically.

Do any of the tracks on your EP stand out or hold a particular meaning to you? (And why?)

I think 10,000 Hours was the first immediate ‘oh that’s a single’ moment I’ve had. It’s a Lifetime is a nice mid/slower, just demonstrating my impressive range you know. They all mean something, the way I write as Spielmann is through the lens of how he sees the world, he sees it in a similar way to the way I do but maybe just tells it straighter, so there’s a good dose of me distilling stuff going on around me and talking about it through stories Spielmann is telling. Pretentious, eh?! But it’s a fun vehicle. Just Like Everybody Else has the most autobiographical flashes to it and is one where I’ve gone ‘this is what I want it sound like’ and actually achieved it, rather than an approximation.

The Leeds music scene is a euphoric factory for upcoming artists to produce and perform their music – What benefit, if any, have you gained from being so active in this diverse music scene?

Friends, that’s a big one, people around you doing or trying to do the same things as you who get it. A strong base level of where to start with things too, good people who want to put on shows or record you or play in your band or whatever. I’ve just been knocking around for so long that people are equally fed up with and intrigued with what I’m doing, which I guess isn’t the worst place to be. ‘Is this guy still doing it? Oh, but it’s actually not that bad.’ Maybe I’m projecting?

What are your thoughts on the direction the Leeds music scene is heading?

I think it’s super strong and diverse and that’s the same as ever, it’s just that now maybe the industry is looking at it more because of the success of some of the bands coming out who have done amazing things (Yard Act/English Teacher). There’s always about 30 shows on a night and loads of good stuff out there. Go listen to Braithe, Carpet, Adult DVD, Drum Wife, Fuzz Lightyear, Hang Linton, Sunflower Thieves, Slip Martin…loads of good stuff.

You have a big year lined up for your solo songwriting career; in addition to the new EP, what upcoming shows can we expect to see you at this year? Is there one you’re looking forward to the most?

Yeah, I’ve got a few festivals in, really looking forward to doing Get Together in Sheffield as that’s where I grew up so always means a lot to play there, and Future Now in Birkenhead is another I’m looking forward to, never been to the Future Yard venue there and it’s meant to be great. I’m also opening a few 5,000 cap shows for the Kaiser Chiefs in June which will be fun, see how the big boys do it. Plotting some headline shows too that I’ll be announcing at some point soon!

Spielmann has a lot to look forward to and we can hope to see him on the big stage very soon. You can find him on Instagram and pre-order your limited edition Fifteen Minutes with Spielmann coffee bag here – expected release date 31st March.

************************************************************

Interview by Kieran Tibbert – Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter

Published 21st March 2024