YORK singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich releases his long-awaited second album, After The Rain, today through Dirty Hit Records.

This return comes fully five years after his 100,000-selling debut, Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm, and ideally the hiatus would have been shorter, but the death of his father, Adrian, a lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of York, in April 2013, understandably consumed him. "Losing my father was a really tough time and I miss him all the time, " says Ben. "When something like that happens, it affects everything, not just crying but every part of you. It was really hard for me.

"I would remember how he used to take me to my gigs at Fibbers, even though he was always wanting me to go to university as he was worried about the reality of a music career. I was playing gigs in York from the age of 13, and he was always there for me."

His father had an influence on Ben's songwriting too. "He knew about words, as a lecturer, so he told me about the importance of presenting things in an understandable way. He would say all my songs were good, but some were better than others at being clear," says Ben.

Win the CD

Courtesy of Dirty Hit Records and Benjamin Francis Leftwich, What's On has five signed copies of After The Rain to be won.

Question: Where in York did Benjamin play a solo set on May 1?

Send your answer with your name, address and daytime phone number, either on a postcard to Charles Hutchinson, Leftwich Competition, The Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN, or by emailing charles.hutchinson@nqyne.co.uk, by next Friday. Usual competition rules apply.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich plays Stylus, Leeds University Union, on September 28; doors open at 7pm. Box office: lunatickets.co.uk/events/