Somerset House is an amazing place at the best of times –  the exhibitions, the infamous Christmas ice rink, and not to mention the films they regularly show on a colossal screen in the courtyard, a definite must-do-before-you-die for any Londoner, but when their yearly Summer Series comes around, well, the best just got better.

This year we were lucky enough to be able to cover seven of the eleven nights, so Tangent can bring you front line reviews from The Summer Series, wherever you are in the world, and here’s your first instalment.

To open the Summer Series, Somerset House welcomed Mystery Jets, on Thursday the 8^th of July. Their set opened with a strange, recognisable noise reverberating from the speakers cut short by explosive drums and guitars – it’s the intro to Flash a Hungry Smile. The acoustics of the courtyard amplified the brilliance of the song, and when they then slide into Half In Love With Elizabeth the crowd can’t help but dance along. The staging is simple, just four guys and their instruments – their presence is strong enough without flashy visuals. The coloured lighting cast onto smoke creates a beautiful, somewhat mysterious texture to the stage, while the band stand relatively still – they don’t need to jump around to hold our attention. After Half In Love… they play an old favourite, Young Love, and the smiles that spread across the lips on every face in the crowd tell you just how happy everyone is to be here.

We get a little banter after this classic, Kai and Blaine introduce the band, and I’m amused by how wonderfully polite they are. They chat for a little while with the audience, although from our part it’s mostly cheering and screaming, before giving us a little taster from the new album. They introduce The Girl Is Gone, and I’m intrigued when Blaine says “You know who you are…”. Once the crowd has been sufficiently wooed,  Kai asks if anyone is here on a date and tells us the next song is for anyone loved up. He convinces us that if anyone has been too shy so far to hold hands with the person they’re with, now is the time to do it. It’s sweet, and I can’t help but think about how many shy fingers are now linked, as the slow and steady intro of Flakes begins. The glowing colours lighting up the walls of the courtyard feel extra beautiful as the chorus rocks the crowd in unison. As Flakes fades out, the electric intro to Hand Me Down begins, and the crowd start dancing again. We were all surprised when the song changed, and the band slid into their very own, unique version of the Lady Gaga Paparazi chorus, and then picking right back up where they left off. Everyone loved it, even though it was strange and unusual, it felt great, and for whatever reason, it worked. The electric, eighties feel was far from over, as our ears were graced with the likes of Hideaway, and the title track off their new album, Serotonin. Mystery Jet’s ability to do mellow and slow songs, like Melt without boring the audience is an art a few other bands could do with learning. They finish the set with Two Doors Down, creating an atmosphere that summed up the whole gig – electric, energy packed, and happy . The band say goodnight, but we know they’ll be back, and to make sure no one leaves, an almost irritating, high pitched static noise plays over the speakers for a good three minutes, before the four-some rejoin the stage. They’re polite, as always, thanking us for having them, and encore with Dreaming of Another World, while the entire courtyard happily dances and sings along to show our appreciation. There’s certainly no sense of winding down, from the crowd or the band, as they perform an spine tingling Diamonds in the Dark. As a farewell gesture, Kai brings a ladder on stage, and climbs to the top simply so he can see us all better and say hello to everyone. The final message from Blaine is to “look after yourselves, and don’t forget to have fun” and as Behind The Bunhouse kicks in, I can’t imagine how, at a Mystery Jets gig, anyone ever could.

On Saturday the 10^th, we returned to Somerset House to witness Noah and the Whale, a band I was particularly excited to see. After the Mystery Jet gig, I was expecting the happy, chilled out atmosphere of the crowd, I was expecting the sunshine and the sweet cider, and I was expecting the night to be a memorable one – what I wasn’t expecting, was for the warm up act to blow me away like he did.

An hour before Noah and the Whale were due to grace the stage, one man and his acoustic guitar stood in front of the crowd. My initial thoughts were that he seemed somewhat overshadowed by the busy mix of amps and drum kits behind him, he struck me as a small man in a big world. But when he began to play, the presence his music demanded was incredible – you’d never believe it was one man and a guitar. The music felt like Newton Faulkner, and the guy looked like a rabbit in the headlights, and as the songs went on, more and more people stood up from their spaces and came to listen. I was enthralled by him, and amazed at how he managed to keep us so connected. Before his fourth song, he asked the audience (which by now has grown to include the majority of the courtyard) whether they would like a quiet song, or a loud song next, and I was surprised at just how loud he could get. Becoming a Jackal almost convinces you that there’s more to it than just one acoustic guitar, you could easily believe there was a drum line and a bass backing the track up, but it’s subtle – the song isn’t lacklustre without them, it’s so powerful you don’t even notice that they’re not there. The diversity in his voice makes me think of Dougy Mandagi of The Temper Trap, as the lone singer seamlessly slips between a warming, homely and reassuring low lullaby, to a higher pitched, bouncy and lighter tone. He eventually introduced himself as Villagers, and explained that the rest of the band couldn’t make it, and I have to say I was awe struck – not only did he give an incredible performance, he was minus four other members. I fully recommend keeping an eye out for Villagers, something tells me we haven’t seen the last of them.

After a subdued break, the crowd began to take their positions facing the stage. I picked a spot near the back in the centre, and waited for the band I’d been so looking forward to seeing… after a little while, the lights went down on the stage, and a loud, epic recording of Clint Mansell’s Requiem for a Tower Mvt. IV plays, reminding us of an opening of a film, as the band’s name speeds towards the screen at the back of the stage. The music comes to a crescendo, and switches to Michael Jackson’s Black or White,  as the band enter and take up their instruments. As the chorus finishes, Blue Skies begins. The sound is grand, and resonates in your chest, a stark contrast to Villagers.The staging is very simple again, the coloured lighting changing for each song, and every so often playing a video on the screen behind. The second track they played was Give a Little Love, which although beautiful and elegant, seemed lost to the crowd, who were a little restless, and showed some reluctance towards the slower songs. It seemed odd to see members of the band head-banging, and rocking around the stage as though they were hearing something completely different to the mellow, leisurely music they were producing.

The crowd bought their attention back to the stage when Noah and the Whale played Love of an Orchestra, and the whole courtyard bounced along for the first time since the opening song. There was an accompanying video playing on the screen behind; an intriguing view of speeding through a city, through tunnels and along roads, occasionally tinted a different colour. The frontman, Charlie Fink tells us that on the very site we’re standing, last year Noah and the Whale beat The Zutons in a 5-a-side football match, and suggests that the next song may be suitable for the England football team after their World Cup failings, and with that begins I Am Nothing… or rather tries to, but struggles to find the key in which to sing… eventually getting it right, and apologising to the crowd. Unfortunately, the slower songs were once again lost on the venue – the gig had all the makings of a rock concert – the lighting, the amps, and the build up… but the delivery of songs just didn’t suit the mood. The crowd did become more responsive for songs like Shape of My Heart and particularly The First Day of Spring, which was their final song before the encore, hitting an incredible peak to which the crowd went wild for.  We knew they’d be coming back, as their signature song was yet to be performed, and they didn’t disappoint, returning with My Door Is Always Open, and an energetic rendition of 5 Years Time, which saw the entire venue dancing away. Their final song was a new one, and already a favourite – L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. – a possible sign of finally moving on from Laura Marling, after their last album The First Days Of Spring mostly narrated Charlie Fink’s break up. Overall it was an enjoyable gig, yet at times frustrating in the way in which the audience seemed to lose interest in the slow, unenergetic songs the band were playing. I’m still a Noah And The Whale fan, however I think I’ll stick to shows at smaller venues from now on.

After the stark difference between these two nights, I can’t help but wonder what N-Dubz and Temper Trap will bring to the table. Check back on Monday the 19^th, to find out…

Written by Bee Pahnke, Photography © Mike McAdam