Benjamin Steer Concert Review 28/5/26 @ Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

Words by Chloe Williams

There are few artists that can make a small, intimate concert venue feel like a home, surrounded by strangers that feel like friends and family you have known your whole life. Though, I suppose that is just the effect Benjamin Steer has. The 23-year-old sang with passion and sublimity throughout the night, surrendering to the sold-out crowd before him and even merging in as the end of the show brought everyone together to sing to an acoustic version of “Muted Colours” and the high-energy “No One Wants To Die Alone”. Each moment was fun in its own way, even when Steer and his bandmate sat down to deliver the slow songs with empathy and precision, specifically for the fan-favourite “Judas”. 

And the best part is that Steer is still able to be personal, sharing the thoughts in his brain and the ones linked to each song and its creation. It’s something so simple, but rather something that is becoming rare in the music industry. The conversations delivered new information to the crowd, even sharing the story of his journey into music as he picked up the guitar while studying at St Andrews University in Scotland to impress some girls. Now with various support gigs under his belt, including Kingfishr and Arthur Hill, Steer has even more lined up for the future after this unbelievably successful sold-out tour, including the BST Hyde Park gig with main act Lewis Capaldi. 

Steer is here to stay, with music drawing inspiration from the likes of Tom Odell, Noah Kahan and the classic acoustics of Ed Sheeran. The Not-So-Nonchalant tour has been a blast, and this is only a sneak peek into the potential of Benjamin Steer as an artist.

Be sure to listen to his new single “Dog Eat Dog” out June 19th on all streaming platforms, and do all you can to catch him live as soon as possible. I promise you will not regret it!

Photo by Chloe Williams