No conga in sight as Summer Series returns

Having enjoyed all but one night of the musical lucky dip that is the Summer Series at Somerset House in 2010, I'd secured tickets for every night in 2011 without having to depend on re-sales sites.

The headline act for the first night was eels - but it was some of the supporting acts that had been equally good discoveries in 2010 and sometimes strange oddities... The first support act feel in to the latter category - hula hop to DJ. Jesca Hoop was a more traditional, if still experimental, jazz/pop set – her song about talking her dying Mormon mother thought smoking a joint stood out!

From eels 2011

It is a shame Somerset House couldn't have opened their series with a British act - I'm sure there are many that would have jumped at the chance of playing such a wonderful venue – having said that eels has certainly attracted a enthusiastic sold out crowd. Beards, preferably full, appeared to be required to be on stage. It took a little while for the audience to warm up – but once we’d got to the very appropriate Hot Fun in the Summertime and then Novocaine for the Soul the gig was in full swing – Mark Everett agreed it was “marvellous”. I don’t think the second encore of the night was planned – and if not it’s refreshing for the band to have been free to respond to the applause from the audience spontaneously. But, it might have just been they needed two breaks to get to the end of their mammoth 26-song set! A good start to the run of live music.