Ellie Goulding - Girl next door, all grown up

From Ellie Goulding 2011

On the first couple of occasions I saw Ellie Goulding live she was very much the girl next door with a great voice, a talent for song writing, and nervous on stage. When I last saw her at the Apollo she’d developed a “style” – but it wasn’t clear where it was going… Returning to London half way through a tour of the US it was clear she had grown up and was now maturing into the role of musical diva by royal appointment – hair by Adam Reed and couture dress by Jonathan Saunders, flowers strewn across the stage…. The great news is that confidence and style hasn’t distracted from the music. Ellie quickly had the audience totally engaged – admittedly it was made up mostly of fans starved of live performances while she breaks America.  Many of whom had been queuing at Somerset House most of the day. With a set that stretched to 17 songs – the audience got good reward for their enthusiasm – nearly every track on her only album and those on her extended version of the album too. Expectation for the 2nd album will be high – shame none of it was ready to tease fans with live…

Suited and booted lads from Manchester

The riot of colour that is Gaggle filled the stage to form the opening support act for Hurts. Once they'd all found the correct microphones, this all female choir tried valiantly to compete with the splendour of the courtyard at Somerset House – but they where fighting a loosing battle. There weren't helped by the fact that, unusually for the series, the audience was very sparse – maybe the very threatening skies had people waiting to see what developed before committing themselves to an evening in the open air.

By contrast Saint Saviour, whom I’d had the pleasure of listening to live before during the HMV Next Big Thing series and as a headliner at XOYO, with only two backing singers, filled the stage with energy and an amazingly expanding dress. With a voice approaching Kate Bush in quality, I’m sure we will be hearing more from her in the future. She is certainly on my list of artist to watch out for…

From Hurts 2011

Then, suited and booted Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson joined their band, an opera soloist, string section and two dancers on stage – almost as many people as Gaggle had brought to the stage. Rather different to the other group from Manchester that has been on the same stage a couple of nights before… With the weather having miraculously not become a night of down pours, the audience had built to capacity; they where enraptured by the opening “Silver Lining” and “Wonderful Life”. My personal highlight was a cover of "Confide In Me" from Kylie Minogue's more electronic period in the mid 90s. Theo’s destruction of a mic stand half way through the set seamed to be without artistic justification – but that was the only blot on a well crafted show – except that it might have been too crafted and styled – without a little spontaneity – maybe that is where the destruction of the mic stand came in.  Closing with vast amounts of red confetti would have left the staff of Somerset House with an enormous cleaning up task – it had got absolutely everywhere within the venue and even beyond the entrance!

Hacking on the mobile phone…

From Blondie 2011

Having previously seen Blondie in 2010 from a far at Kenwood House, where an under powered sound system and an audience as interested in their picnics as the music (possibly because they couldn’t hear it!) failed to inspire, I made my way to Somerset House in the hope that the tighter space would bring the best out of the iconic rock’n’roll gal. The start was a little slow as new tracks from the current Album failed to hit the spot. True fans enjoy new material as well as the old classics – ultimately they mean new albums and more touring to promote sales – but they should be mixed with the classics to get the momentum going. Once the classics started flowing the place started rocking – One Way or Another, Maria, Atomic, Call me and the very timely Hanging/Hacking on the Telephone had the entire audience joining in – most of whom where born long after they where penned. With Beady Eye and Blondie on consecutive nights, the Summer Series at Somerset House is certainly delivering the rock classics, surrounded by the upcoming generation possible future pop icons.

Swagger on stage – will the other brother be there next year?

From Beady Eye 2011

It was with some trepidation I took up a position at the front of the Beady Eye gig - my previous experience of gigs involving one or more Gallaghers had included the throwing of not quite empty plastic pint glasses towards the front – what a waste of expensive beer. I needn’t have worried – in the more refined surroundings of Somerset House there was only one – and that actually made it on to the stage! Security did earn they money on the night – it the first time in 20+ gigs at Somerset House I’ve seen someone pulled from the front of the audience – at other venues for some bands there is an almost constant stream… The event attracted more photographers than any other in the series so far, and also numerous onlookers from the side of the stage, some of whom could easily have graced the stage themselves – although probably not to the same audience. Liam hasn’t lost any of his swagger.  He clearly felt we where privileged to have him perform for us. If the breakup of Oasis broke his heart, he is clearly getting over it. Liam has previously played to much bigger venues, but Somerset House seamed exactly the right size for his half of the outcome of the break up of Oasis – big enough to take the volume – but not so big that those at the back felt disconnected.

Rocking round the courtyard

From Imelda May 2011

Opening for Imelda May at Somerset House was Big Boy Bloater – he and his band brought 50s rock to the venue, and if the Thames had had waves we’d have been surfing them.

Imelda May swung on to stage – looking a little like a bee in her yellow and black dress. A bee hive wig would have completed the look to a tee. She and her swing band proceeded to send out a rousing rockabilly sound into the formality of the Somerset House courtyard. Highlights of the set included Gypsy and Roadrunner…