Aloe Blacc @ Somerset House Summer Series with American Express Recap
posted in events, music by Tara
On Sunday Yin and I headed down to the beautiful Somerset House to see Californian singer-songwriter, Aloe Blacc, as part of the Somerset House Summer Series, sponsored by American Express. We arrived early to take advantage of the AMEX preferred seating programme which entailed entry to the sophisticated river-facing bar, some free drinks and a lovely chilled atmosphere.
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Singer and DJ, Yasmin was the first support act of the evening where she performed her Spring hit, “Finish Line“, and a rather questionable cover of Kanye West’s “Runaway”. However without sounding too negative, she looked absolutely stunning as ever and really impressed the crowd with her performance; she came across much more confident on stage and her vocal range live was definitely a lot more soulful and mature to what you hear on the radio, as with most artists! Next up was Dionne Bromfield, who many think of as “Amy Winehouse’s God Daughter” however, after her stunning performance of “Yeah Right”, “Foolin” and Cee-Lo’s “Forget You” I’m sure many think of her now as a mini Aretha!
At around 9.15, and right on time, The Grand Scheme, Aloe Blacc‘s 5-piece band started to play the melody of Aloe’s huge hit, “I Need A Dollar“. Mr Blacc, wearing a trilby, cream blazer and black tailored trousers cruised on to the stage, dancing and clapping, to an incredibly warm reception from the crowd. I personally never knew he had so many fans, from all walks of life; young and old. Aloe greeted London and asked the audience if we were ready to hear some soul, before sliding into my personal favourite, “Hey Brother“. First impressions: a vibrant soul singer with some great dance moves who sounds 10x better live. Aloe played homage to the soul greats, who have heavily inspired his sound; Marvin Gaye, Al Green and Stevie Wonder.
He romanticised the crowd with his amazing falsetto for “You Make Me Smile”, he then gave us goosebumps and watery eyes with an acoustic version of “Mama Hold My Hand” and had us swaying and smiling with his cover of Bob Marley‘s “No Woman No Cry”, I was shocked at the genuinity of the Panamanian’s Jamaican accent! There were influences of old-style funk and soul present as he danced up and down, shimmying his hips, James Brown style. Aloe couldn’t stand still – his energy on stage was amazing, one of the few performers I’ve seen that were genuinely committed to ensuring their fans had a good time.
Aloe explained that his next track, Misfortune was written around Obama’s election. He wanted to capture the fact that although many were going through positive times, there was an undercurrent of negativity and hard times for many. This is something Aloe Blacc regularly incorporates into his music. Rather than writing directly about political goings-on, he disguises his message with stories of love, heartbreak and personal experiences – allowing you to enjoy his jazzy-soul on two levels, depending on your preference! Speaking of two levels, did everyone but me know that Aloe Blacc used to rap, with legend DJ Exile?! Aloe surprised the crowd with an animated and poetic verse, which Yin quite rightly likened to Q-Tip! Aloe Blacc performed various versions of his phenomenal hit, “I Need a Dollar”, including a version with a reggae twist and a version with his wife (who knew?)…rapping (reminded me a lot of Alesha Dixon) .
Lasting impression: funk-inspired, hip-shaking, advocate for love and peace, a political activist, poet and rapper who is passionate about his craft, full of surprises and an all-round beautiful man.
Yin’s segment
It wouldn’t be right if I don’t add my little bit to this post containing my very first photographs from the photographers pit. It was an experience, quite scary at first being in front of the whole crowd but once you get snapping…you don’t notice them. In the zone as many would call it. Another reason for being scared was because every other photographer had £2000+ lenses, bigger than the size of my forearm! and there’s me with my somewhat basic lenses (which I coughed out a few £ hundred on! SMH)
One big lesson I learnt – always bring ear plugs! sheesh, the bass from the speakers was making my head vibrate. Personally I think some of the shots (main one) are up there with my best photographs. I can’t really add anything else to the review, Tara pretty much covered everything. Yasmin and Dionne impressed, the latter warmed up the younger crowd nicely before Aloe‘s entrance. He was something else, full of soul, full of joy – a man genuinely doing what he loves. It’s inspiring. He can rap, sing, dance, vibe – mad gifted. I will definitely be seeing him again when he comes to London. Make sure you do too.
Aloe Blacc, I salute you sir. I’m going to leave ya’ll with a few more photographs from the night.
About Tara
Music discoverer, explorer and lover! I enjoy traveling, politics, film and all things creative! Follow me on Twitter for rants, food & Hip Hop and check out my other blog!