Benjamin Clementine @ Town Hall, 1st December, 2017
Friday night at the Town Hall and Birmingham Live had the opportunity to see Benjamin Clementine. Benjamin Clementine is a performer that packs a mighty punch. As an entertainer he demands as much of his audience as he gives; there is a surge of energy and human interaction that cannot be questioned. Benjamin Clementine is a pianist who uses the full strength of his lungs and the full force of the piano keys under his finger.
Benjamin’s stage presence is equally as deserving of the near sell out crowd, who were lapping up his musical output from his highly acclaimed second album. There was so much laughter from the audience you would have been forgiven to think you were at a comedy show. The abrupt nature of the show treated up with soothing melodies of poetry interspersed with humorous of the shenanigans of Clementine and Co.
They made full use of the stage, Ben, His Mighty Drummer and his Soulful Guitarist who treated us to an ambitious, erratic set with a stage covered in all white mannequins, two pregnant figures, a child and a few other naked pieces. Tracks taken from his masterful début album “At Least For Now” to close the night, we were then treated for the duration of his show to new arrangements from his warmly received follow up album “I Tell A Fly”.
Mr Clementine’s performance is the epitome of vulnerability, showmanship, grace and a multitude of layers, he stole our attention and gave us a masterpiece of a show in return.
Its that time of year when you hunt for a good deal, what we experienced tonight by whom we can easily describe as one of the most captivating performers of his generation by way of Benjamin Clementine was a bargain.
Reviewer: Chadwick Jackson