Benjamin Steer (UK)

Doors: 19:00

Benjamin Steer, who describes himself as a “hopeless romantic,” is an aspiring singer/songwriter-talent whose magnificent songs magnify the obsession and dedication he puts into everything he does, along with “the anxiety and desperation of finding someone and something that actually matters to you,” as the 23-year-old aspiring star explains.

It is precisely this search for meaning, stability and affirmation in a divided time that runs like a red thread through his music. It is driven by the ambition to make life successful and reach as many people as possible.

Having built up experience as support for Myles Smith, Cameron Whitcomb, Arthur Hill and Kingfishr, among others, Steer found his audience in earnest with the breakup anthem 'Miracle', the soulful and down-to-earth 'Sinner' as well as the modern frustration song 'No One Wants To Die Alone'. In the latter, he asks: “Is it heartbreak with the mistakes that dictate who we are?” He yearns for something more, something real, at an age when he feels “so tired of all this young love and fake harshness because we are all alone”.

This persistent pursuit of perfection and to be heard may be a symptom of being in your 20s in 2026, but for Steer it is also linked to his OCD diagnosis. The irresistible 'Be My Love' portrays modern romance through just this perspective. “My OCD helps me and harms me in pretty much every aspect of my life,” Steer admits. “It makes it harder for me to live normally, but helps me in the pursuit of the things I want to achieve.”

With a busy year of touring ahead of him — including a sold-out gig at London's legendary Village Underground — Steer is intent on putting in the hours both on stage and in the studio to write a debut album that really matters; both to the fans and to himself. He acknowledges that his progress has come quickly and that luck has played a part, but it is his talent and the love he receives that keeps him there.

“I've got to earn it,” he says. “I have to pay back to the people who have shown me trust. I have to do this for them and for myself.”