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Have a listen to Benjamin Francis
Leftwich, an amazing solo artist whose
debut EP A Million Miles Out will be
released on October 25th...

'SINGER-SONGWRITER' is not a term embraced by many musicians. Too often the phrase is used to denote generic clichés, excessive emotional angst or middle-of-the-road blandness.

But 21-year-old Benjamin Francis Leftwich feels it's far from insulting: "My songs are personal and acoustic guitar-based so why not? I am a singer-song-writer."

With influences including Elliot Smith, The Beatles, Kate Bush, Ryan Adams, Sigur Ros and Bruce Springsteen, his floaty, melancholic vocals and deft finger-picking lie somewhere between Jose Gonzales and Iron and Wine.

A Million Miles Out, Benjamin Francis Leftwich's debut EP, will be released on October 25th through Dirty Hit. Produced by Ian Grimble (Mumford & Sons Manic Street Preachers, Siouxsie & The Banshees), it will be followed by a full-length in March 2011.

Although born and bred in York, Benjamin is of South African and Australian descent; he sees Sydney as a home-from-home and has been writing songs for the album there as well as in London.

A self-taught guitarist, Leftwich has had plenty of time to perfect his craft — he began playing at the age of ten and realised early on that song-writing was a natural means of expression to him. "I like the way a song can grab you for a couple of minutes and take you somewhere, and how the different elements in a track can make you feel."

Growing up on a diet of The Rolling Stones and Nina Simone, Leftwich discovered Placebo, Bob Dylan and Elliot Smith in his teens and quickly began playing out on the York music scene.

Written whilst in the secluded countryside of Southern France, the four tracks on A Million Miles Out have a sense of hopefulness. The delicacy of EP opener Atlas Hands is a case in point, with its refrain: "I've got a plan. I've got an atlas in my hands. I'm gonna turn. When I listen to the lessons that I've learned." The stunningly subtle More Than Letters — which is featured on the Communion Compilation (the label from Mumford & Sons and Cherbourg) — also showcases Leftwich's talents at their most powerful.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich — A Million Miles Out
Label: Dirty Hit | Release Date: 25 October 2010 | Digital EP
Tracklisting: 1. Atlas Hands 2. More Than Letters 3. Hold In My Hand 4. Maps

Benjamin Francis Leftwich by Authority Communications

Benjamin Francis Leftwich Live —

Having previously played with Mercury-nominated I Am Kloot, Fionn Regan and Lisa Mitchell, Benjamin Francis Leftwich will be playing a string of shows across the UK later this year.

2 Sept — Young & Lost Club @ Lock Tavern, London
13 Oct — The Forum, Sheffield
14 Oct — Louisana, Bristol
15 Oct — School of Art & Design, Cardiff
18 Oct — Slaughtered Lamb, London
20 Oct — King Tuts, Glasgow
21 Oct — Fibbers, York
22 Oct — Jericho Tavern, Oxford

Check out Ben at myspace.com/benjaminfrancisleftwich

TRAX. The ultimate
performance car
event at Silverstone —
17 very good reasons
to attend for just Ł17
on 5th September...

TRAX OFFERS PERFORMANCE CAR ENTHUSIASTS MORE than any other show in Europe. With more action, more metal and more entertainment than any other show, and as the traditional big end of season event, no performance car fan should miss it!

17 very good reasons to attend —

1. World's Number 1 Drifter makes UK debut — Crowds can expect to be blown away by Chris Forsberg's precision driving as he demonstrates his world-famous 'bottle trick' where he power-slides his car towards a wall at speeds of up to 70mph, knocking the top off a bottle protruding from the wall! It has to be seen to be believed. Drift champion Chris will also wow the crowds with a selection of high-speed stunts!

2. Watch world-class drifting with the JDM Allstars final taking place on the brand new F1 Grand Prix circuit.

3. Millions of pounds' worth of cars on display in the exotic Supercar Paddock.

4. Drive the new F1 GP Circuit for Ł30! — With the Silverstone track currently undergoing a revamp ahead of this year's F1 British Grand Prix, TRAX will be the first time the public will get to take any (road legal!) car on the brand new circuit. All makes and models are welcome and sessions are graded according to driver experience, so whether it's your first time on track or you're a track day veteran you can put your car to test on the new Silverstone circuit.

5. VI-Performance 0-60mph Sprint Test — Test your car's performance from a standing start. Measured with state-of-the-art timing equipment for completely accurate results. The TRAX record currently stands at 2.07 seconds per single run.

6. Watch amazing stunts from Multiple Guinness World Record Holder Paul Swift.

7. Check out United Autosports' Audi R8 GT3 Race Team on display and on-track.

8. See the finest examples of performance excellence in the TRAX 2010 Power & Style Awards.

9. Club Displays — The massive car club displays at TRAX are bigger than at any other UK car show. Over 200 clubs attend with over 4,500 cars representing a huge variety of marques and models. Expect to see everything from classic Corvettes to performance-enhanced Skylines. Whatever marque you're into, you'll find it at TRAX, the UK's biggest display of the most impressive car clubs in the country.

10. Massive Retail Village — TRAX is a great place to grab a bargain. As the last major show of the season, its huge retail village is packed with exhibitors selling everything you could need for your car and more.

11. This year the retail area will be bigger than ever with the addition of a new Platinum Retail Village featuring the leading names in the tuning market including KW Automotive, Milltek, Maxxis, STP, Pioneer, Meguiar's, TSW and 2010 Auto Series sponsors, Adrian Flux.

12. Redline Power Paddock — the best performance-tuned cars the UK has to offer!

13. Fast Car magazine presents their latest feature cars, staff rides and, for the first time ever, a selection of their crazy Wild Card machines!

14. Tuning Zone and master classes with S & B Automotive academy — see them transform a standard Mitsubishi Evo 8 into a track weapon.

15. Hear the most powerful engines roar in Thunder Alley.

16. Win high-speed passenger rides with professional race teams. And, last but not least…

17. Kids under 14 go FREE!

WIN a pair of tickets.

Check out traxshows.co.uk.

Clean your car the lazy man’s way using waterless Top Gun technology...

INSPIRED BY JET FIGHTER TECHNOLOGY, Mantis Shine is a new waterless car spray guaranteed to make the Sunday morning chore a bit more exciting. It doesn't require water or hose pipes to work; just a cloth, a swagger and a cocksure attitude...

Mantis Shine, which goes on sale shortly, was designed by the American aerospace industry to clean fighter jets in arid environments like Africa and the Middle East — by keeping the jets spotless they saved money on fuel consumption. And now consumer brand JML has adapted the technology to clean more earthbound vehicles.

Don't add water —

To use it, just spray the affected area of your car, wait for a few minutes while the chemicals bind to the grime, then wipe clean and buff.

Mantis Shine has a cumulative effect: the more you use it, the less you need. It lifts dirt and grime off the bodywork and suspends it within the liquid just waiting to be wiped away. Then all you need to do is buff it and it'll leave your car with a finish Lewis Hamilton would be proud of!

This bucket and sponge replacement is ace at tackling dried-on dirt and even scuff and exhaust marks. Available from ASDA, Focus, Tesco and Wilkinson, Mantis Shine will retail at Ł9.99.

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