Ben Catley brings his finger-tapping ‘notes to self’ to Bluesfest Byron Bay

WHEN Ben Catley sits down to write music, a clear theme tends to emerge. Much of his songwriting centres on maintaining a positive mindset and making the most out of life.

“I find my songs are like a note to self,” he said.

Alongside those reflections are more nostalgic tracks inspired by his upbringing in Newcastle, in Northern England.

The region has produced an impressive list of musicians, including Sting, AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson and Dire Straits’ Mark and David Knopfler.

“It’s a very working class area,” Catley said. “They have had a lot of hard times, and they have had to stick it out without much money or help. I think certain things come from when you’re born out of those kind of environments, rather than where life is all sunny and pretty.”

Catley grew up listening to old-school Delta blues played by his father around the house. He began playing guitar at the age of eight and is largely self-taught.

“I had a couple of lessons from a guy up the road when I was about 14, but I was so enamoured by what he did I just ended up chatting to him,” he said. “He told me about bands that he played in, and I just thought it was so cool.”

“I didn’t really do the solo thing until I came to Australia,” he said. “I got a cheap acoustic guitar and started writing more songs in that space and taught myself vocal techniques.”

He played in various pub bands across the UK while still underage, before travelling to Australia in 2011. He fell in love with the country and ended up settling in Scarborough, near Perth.

He regularly plays his blend of acoustic, blues, roots, rock and folk at venues in the region, as well as festivals around the world.

He performed at Bluesfest Byron Bay for the first time last year and considers it one of the best festivals, citing the calibre of artists it attracts and its accessibility.

“Some festivals in the UK it feels like you spend two hours walking from one stage to the other,” he said. “You can get more bang for your buck. It’s awesome. The vibe is great.”

This year, he will perform on three of the four days of Bluesfest over the Easter long weekend in April.

“It’s good for an artist of my level when there’s such big acts on,” he said. “It gives me a chance to be exposed to more people. Last year both my performances were in the evening and I had no expectation with those shows because it was a last minute booking and there were such big acts on at the same time. I thought, ‘If I get 50 people at my set I’ll be stoked’, but it was really busy. You forget it’s a festival with tens of thousands of attendees, so people are always around.”

Catley is known for his high tempo riffs and finger-tapping guitar style, with some chilled instrumental pieces thrown in.

“When I do festivals I try to keep it pretty upbeat and high energy,” he said.

Ben Catley is playing Bluesfest on Friday 3 April, Saturday 4 April and Sunday 5 April.

For more information and tickets, visit bluesfest.com.au