Music

Ben who dropped out of university in Falmouth in December to concentrate wholly on his music was selected to play alongside Gomez in London's Kentish Town in front of a crowd of 2,500.

BBC Radio Cornwall's David White spoke to Ben on air. Hear the full interview here:

Ben Howard playing live

He won a £5,000 worth of Fender kit, clothing and is also now due to play at The Great Escape festival in Brighton.

Ben said: "What has amazed me is that they usually go for bands, but here I am just with my acoustic guitar.

"I didn't expected it at all. I went up (to London) with the drummer and a few friends from Cornwall and it was a real treat to win, I didn't expect it at all."

"It was great to be there with the final four, we are all very different, a real mix of styles. It was a cracking audience as well, they went mad."

Jonny Kirkham, Red Stripe said: "There’s not much original territory to be ploughed by singer-songwriters, so you have to admire the innovative, enthralling efforts of Ben Howard, who uses his guitar to build swirling, percussive beats around plaintive plucking and melancholic vignettes."

You can see Ben play in Cornwall at Gylly Beach Cafe in Falmouth on 13th June and Blue Bar, Porthtowan on 14th June.

Ben was on air with BBC Cornwall with David White during his BBC Introducing programme. You can listen to it between 6-7pm on Friday and 5-6pm on Sundays on 95.2FM and 103.9FM.