Ben Folds conducts Shepherds Bush crowd

The uncharacteristically bland intro was to take a turn for the better as Folds eased into his set and started doing what he does comfortably; experimenting. ‘I’m just going to change a few things to make it sound...bad’ he said as he placed objects under the piano lid. And the outcome? A unique blend of punk and jazz that, for all its faults, worked remarkably well.

The former Ben Folds Five frontman was exciting to watch. With every tweak or crack of the ivories his intensity became more thrilling . This is a man that has worked with the tools of his trade endlessly. In the rare moments he calmed down the marks of an outstanding classical player came through. He can even multi-task; controlling a piano in one hand and keyboard in the other.

His band consists of a bassist and drummer. With the help of a tambourine player that appeared sporadically, back facing the crowd, they created a dynamic sound. Songs like Rockin’ the Suburbs and Zak and Sara were done to perfection and the improvisation on tracks like Landed attracted much applause.

Records for the yet to be released new album also went done well. 'I don’t know whether to call it The drown song or We Praise Thy Name,' he said. The latter seemed the most popular.

Throwing his stool against his piano Folds thanked his audience and left to a standing ovation. Job done.

Ben Folds