Ben Christophers

Wolverhampton-based singer/songwriter Ben Christophers, known for his fragile melodies and leanings that fall just short of folk, has earned favorable comparisons to Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke, Mark Hollis, and Art Garfunkel. He inked a deal with V2 in the U.K., which issued his debut album My Beautiful Demon in 1999; the record was produced by Faultline’s David Kosten. At the moment of its arrival, Christophers’s sole stage history consisted of solo performances held under a neighborhood pizza restaurant. A few months after Demon appeared, he began performing live with a keyboardist, a double bassist, and a drummer. Festival slots at Glastonbury and Reading, among others, raised his visibility, prompting him to start work on a follow-up album. Crafted once more with Kosten’s help, Spoonface came out in late 2001 and drew comparable critical acclaim.