Fearne Cotton can’t stop singing his praises but don’t let that put you off Benjamin Francis Leftwich. He has one of those voices which sound even better live than on the record. So crisp, it cuts through each word and holds the attention of the tiny audience from the first line of the opener ‘1904’, one of the standout tracks from the new album.

The intimacy of the venue is intensified by the fact that Benjamin Francis Leftwich has decided not to take a band on tour with him: a one man show is a risky move, he tells us, but he more than pulls it off.  He decides to make it even more intimate by stepping away from the microphone to sing ‘Break the Day Open’; another brave move which he gets away with, though it was so quiet it would have been disastrous had someone’s phone gone off. That did actually happen to him at another gig, he tells us, and the person had the cheek to pick up and take the call. This is about the extent of repartee that we get from Leftwich but his talent makes up for any lack of charisma.

The middle of the set gives us Butterfly Culture, Pictures and Box of Stones, all of which prove why the Yorkshire lad is being hailed as the next big thing by Radio One. Snowship and Shine- the latter was used on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy- are easy listening but somewhat mediocre. The only point where he misses the mark is when he pulls out the electric guitar to cover Springsteen’s Atlantic City. It feels like sacrilege; like no instrument louder than an acoustic guitar should be allowed to corrupt that ethereal voice. Atlas Hands finishes it off, and the next morning I still can’t get it out of my head