Spellbound by Benjamin Clementine at Somerset House

I’m very new to the world of Benjamin Clementine. I’ve caught snippets of his music here and there and have been aware of him gaining space in the musical landscape, while not having ever had the opportunity to see him perform.

This all changed on Saturday night, when I was invited to Somerset House by American Express, to see the Mercury Prize winner himself, transfixing the crowds with his dazzling vocals, complete with a string section from the Gods…

But first, a drink in the VIP terrace before the sun went down…

There are lots of deck chairs scattered around the terrace – perfect for lounging. Something I do very well.

We took our drinks through to the stage area and, like the rest of the crowd, were immediately silenced by the mesmerising performance of Benjamin Clementine, before erupting (every time) into booming applause at the end of each song…

Benjamin Clementine is British, but was discovered as a homeless busker in Paris. At just 27, his voice, lyrics and arrangements are extraordinarily impressive… with one of my favourite tracks being the nutty ‘St-Clementine-on-Tea-and-Croissants’.

As the sun went down, the atmosphere became all the more electric and the backdrop of Somerset House became an even more magical setting for this beautiful concert…

It was a wonderful evening and felt like such a privilege to see this man cast his spell over the audience… and me.

Thank you Amex Invites, for having me – I loved every moment and l am already looking forward to returning…

American Express invited me to watch Benjamin Clementine at Summer Series at Somerset House. For a limited time this year you have the chance to get closer to the action like I did, sampling American Express Invites. You can buy tickets for a whole range of gigs and theatre productions normally reserved for American Express Cardmembers. To find out more – and to see more exciting content on this year’s Summer Series at Somerset House – visit amexsummersounds.co.uk.

This post was shot on my LEICA D-LUX – dinky but dynamic ;)