Benjamin Clementine (★★★✩✩), mixed feelings

Benjamin Clementine is one of the most attractive figures on the current scene. Located in a wonderful terrain of art-pop singer-songwriter in which various stylistic edges shine, he is not one of those who records much: his third album appeared in 2022, and since then he has only recorded a few singles. Which, considering his charisma and his songbook, does not pose any problem nor does it detract from the interest of his proposal. This Saturday he went to the Porta Ferrada festival. White piano and stage, he appeared alone, barefoot, and wearing a trench coat black. Impressive scene to start a concert that, by the way, could have scored higher.

He opened fire with Cornerstonea dense and beautiful construction in which the differential facts of this artist with an eventful life began to emerge – it is said that in his youth he was clochard in Paris – which is portrayed in the first verse of the song as “alone in a stone box.” Nemesis, I won’t complain either londonwere among others in a visit to Empordà lands that culminated with the final encore of Rudy Rockingburga song long sung by the public and which Clementine has not recorded on record. Their songs are of great emotional depth, a kind of open wound around the vulnerable: raw, but at the same time healing, billed with great drama and a vocal register of very high transmission.

However, at the end of the gala one could not help but be torn between mixed feelings, due to the attitude adopted by the musician. A sense of humor and involving the public are always healthy. But in various cases Clementine deployed hackneyed tricks of entertainer that, in the end, did not work in their favor. No matter how much laughter was heard in the stalls, episodes such as the long, eternal minutes in which he made the staff sing “beer” and “tapas” are relatively funny, ending with a silly Italic “vaffanculo!!”. It’s summer and we’re all in a good mood, but things would have been better off differently…