It’s with a shout of ‘come on!’ that Ben Ellis hits the stage at La Boule Noir in Paris on Monday night. The 24-year-old has the bit between his teeth.
It’s been quite the year for the Welshman, whose the train where the time slows EP has been a remarkable success. Not only has the seven-track project pulled in millions of streams, but the feeling is that Ellis has firmly found himself as an artist.
It’s in support of that EP that the singer/songwriter has hit the road across Europe, before a run of shows in the UK, including a stop at the respected Garage in London - an early venue for the likes of Ed Sheeran and Wolf Alice.
While the material from the train where the time slows provides the highlights at La Boule Noir, an underground venue in the shadow of the Sacre-Coeur, Ellis also finds plenty of time to nod to his earlier releases.
The singer’s fans throw balloons in the air for happy-go-lucky number ‘Ed’s House’, bringing a wry smile to Ellis’ face. ‘Half the Time’ is delivered with endearing ease, while he hits the Macarena for ‘Burner Phone’ after asking the crowd to help end the ‘dancing epidemic’. There’s even time for a One Direction cover as he makes ‘Little Black Dress’ his own.
Visiting the back catalogue is a reminder of how long Ellis has been at this, and those years of work have culminated in the train where the time slows. There’s an undeniable groove to ‘move, honey’ and a striking candour in the down-and-out ‘animal’. Elsewhere, ‘where she goes’ verges on an Ethel Cain-like atmosphere as it hangs in the air around the 200-person venue.
The night closes on ‘when it ends’, bringing together Ellis’ storytelling and guitar-led hooks with style.
As much as Monday night is a celebration of the train where the time slows, there’s already more to come. “This is the end of an era,” the rising star admits, teasing what may be next.