Ben Denny Mo’s single ‘In The Breakdown’ captures the rawness of heartbreak but lifts it into something communal. A taster of The Norfkl Tapes, Ben reflects on that EP, the unexpected roots of his guitar style and the lessons in resilience that have kept his music moving forward.
‘In The Breakdown’ has an anthemic quality even though it’s born out of heartbreak. How do you go about turning something painful into something empowering and communal?
I think it kind of just happens naturally it’s not like I plan to write in a certain way. Whenever I try to plan to write something specific it doesn’t tend to work and doesn’t have that flow, compared to when it happens naturally. The fellings and emotions are there, but they find their own way onto a new song.
It has been described as song that naturally invites people to sing along. Do you write with live audiences in mind, or is that something that happens once the song is out in the world?
Yes it happens naturally, nothing planned for. But have been told by people that it’s a bit of an earworm and they like singing along to it. It’s always nice when people sing along, especially if it means they already know the song. I love the interaction with the audience when performing with my band in Gozo when they are singing lines of songs back to me.
Recording at places as contrasting as Crystal Sounds in Norfolk and Abbey Road must have been very different experiences. How did those environments affect the music?
The environment of Abbey Road is very different – it’s such an iconic space to be in and so many inspiring people have recorded there, so that in itself can be a bit daunting and exciting all at the same time. Knowing that you’re stepping into the place where other amazing musicians did.
Crystal Sounds is very different but just as enjoyable to be at. The owner/producer has become a good friend, recognising what it is I am looking for in terms of sound and we have a good chemistry and enjoy writing together and recording .
Do you feel more at home playing intimate gigs where you can really see the audience’s reaction, or at larger festivals where the energy is overwhelming but collective?
Depends on the setting of the show. Just myself and a guitar – I quite like small intimate gigs as I can connect with the people in the room and I pick songs that I know would go down well.
When I’m with my band I prefer a crowd because there’s more energy with the band and I like getting people dancing.
You’ve spoken about dyslexia being one of the reasons you turned to music as a creative refuge. How has that shaped your songwriting?
Yes, because of my dyslexia I have always found refuge in my music. Creating a new tune has always come naturally to me and in turn helps me with writing stuff down and coming up with final lyrics. Music creates an emotion, and you can feed off that emotion with finding the right expression re lyrics.
The Norfkl Tapes is being released on vinyl with a bonus CD of older material. What does it mean to you to place your past work alongside newer songs, and do you see them in conversation with each other?
The older music always seems to be an old chapter of my life and I don’t tend to compare them as my sound also tends to change over time. There are some big contrasts, often reflecting different times in my life. I’ve never chosen to write in just one style and my genre can range from folk, to ska, to reggae, to soul to indie, classic rock and beyond. I hope that people will like the contrasting styles on the CD, whilst enjoying the newer songs on the vinyl.
What song from The Norfkl Tapes do you think reveals the most about who you are right now?
‘Lay me Down’ – because I am quite happy and content where my life is at right now. And that song is a reflection of past relationships and creating new ones.
If you could see one of your songs placed in a film or TV series, which track would you choose and what kind of scene would it soundtrack?
In the breakdown in some heavy desolate scene where everything seems to be going wrong. Although based on a relationship breakdown I’m not sure it is quite TV Love Island material for when two people split up!
Your “2 capo” guitar style is pretty unconventional. How did that come about and how does it influence the sound of your songs?
It came about when I was at a festival and I found a capo for a mandolin – and they are half the size of a normal capo. I messed around with it on an open tuning and started playing a lot with it. It influences the way I play as it allows you to be far more creative with the guitar sound – you basically have 2 sets of guitar strings instead of one.
You’ve mentioned being influenced by artists like John Martyn and Dave Matthews Band. Are there any unexpected influences outside of music that have found their way into your songs?
Past relationships feature heavily. Also things I remember from the past – September is in part a reflection of growing up on Gozo. There is a song I play called ‘Figures’ which is all about shapes I used to see on my bedroom wall. Also, I have written a number of songs that were influenced by people I have known and things they got up to.
Looking back at your journey so far, what do you think has been the most important lesson in perseverance?
Knowing that after Covid I had to reshape my whole life. I became a chef and did that for a few years, but have now come back around to doing music again and really enjoying it.
And finally, which mistake are you most grateful you left in a final take, and why?
I tend to work with perfectionists so mistakes are rare in the final take! One of the songs on The Norfkl Tapes had me laughing at one point during the early mix, and it sounded like it belonged there. But come the final mix it was gone. There are some longer songs where I have a tendency to change the lyrics around when performing live as they are pretty emotional and what comes out of my mouth at the time could be different to a week later. We tried recording a song called ‘Love Song For Aleppo’ in the studio, but it was impossible to recreate the raw emotion of how it sounds live.
