Benjamin Clementine at Somerset House - Summer Series

A beautiful Sunday evening in the height of summer in the city, the extraordinary Benjamin Clementine was supported by the mesmerising Olive Jones, closing Somerset House's iconic summer series, which has been going on for the past 23 years. I actually saw Palace at Somerset House two weeks before, and the contrast in gig and crowd was stark. Both great for their own reasons, of course. However, I can't help but feel most comfortable at the Benjamin Clementine gig, it actually felt like I was around like-minded people from similar demographics to myself, a bunch of "misfits" that struggle to fit in certain crowds, a bit like what Earl Sweatshirt said in 'Chum', "too black for the white kids, and too white for the black." But here it felt like everyone was at home and unjudged in a space being controlled by Benjamin Clementine. Bit of a contrast to Palace, felt a bit performative at times and felt stage presence wasn't there for the most part. So, Crystal Palace-born, North London and Paris-raised Benjamin Clementine drew attention from the crowd I had never seen before.

Before this though, I need to talk about Olive Jones. I'm a big fan of Olive Jones and her debut album 'For Mary', which was released earlier this year, a record with influences from genres like soul, folk to jazz and blues. A beautiful set with 'All in My Head', 'A Woman's Heart', and of course, 'Mary'. Olive Jones has the most beautiful voice on record, but this also translates to in real life too, one of my favourite voices of recent years. This set was fitting for a summer evening and gave me the dose of soul I needed before Benjamin Clementine came on.

Now, to Benjamin Clementine, who opened with songs that turned my attention to him in the first place: 'London, I Won't Complain', 'Cornerstone', reminiscent of a time where Jools Holland would give artists a stage ahead of their time, Clementine was one of them. 15 years on from these songs, you're usually lucky if an artist plays a lot of music from their debut, but with no new album on the horizon (that we know of), we were lucky to witness a setlist crafted for fans of Clementine, new and old. Throughout the performance he would play solo, with a woodwind section, and then accompanied by a full string section. This wasn't normal, of course, it aligned with Clementine’s unique presence on stage, with accompanying musicians dressed in white and a string section sitting on the floor playing. Remember, this is all happening within the courtyard of Somerset House, in the peak of summer, serious business. Clementine's usual stage presence of well-timed dry humour, separating the seriousness of the darkness of his songs with light-hearted banter to the crowd. At one point we (the crowd) ended up repeating his song lyrics over 40 times. That 40 times was just me counting when I thought, wow, he's taking the piss, but that's why we love Benjamin Clementine. Each gig is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, that you will NOT get anywhere else.

Benjamin Clementine will continue to make waves within music, however, his recent stint in 'The Gentlemen' season 2 makes me think if he will be continually pursuing acting for the time being. With no new album on the horizon, this would make total sense. As long as he continues to gig, please explore all your creative and artistic potential!