Benjamin Clementine

The future sound of London” – Evening Standard

“Sombre piano balladry that goes straight for the gut” – DIY Magazine

“yearning vocals and trembling piano” – Q

Many fine things have emerged from Crystal Palace, South East London, my childhood urban playground and local town to my family home.

• A football team with a cracking little ground and fiercely loyal fans
• A huge, great verdant park with dinosaurs, a National Sports Centre and a maze, oh my
• Domali, a cool café serving white hot chocolate and the legendary hangover slayer that is 'BCM' - Beans, Cheese, Marmite on door stop toast.
• A Festival, a Food Market, and some cracking great pubs.

To name but a few. Crystal Palace is having a moment thanks in part to a wallop of gentrification and a fantastic community, and long may it continue.

So I was very pleased to read Rosamund Urwin's recent feature in the Evening Standard 'The Fourteen for 2014' and see Crystal Palace-born musician Benjamin Clementine take pride of place at No. 10. I was intrigued, I had to find out more - just who was this talented young man and what did his music sound like?

This is what I discovered, and heard.

Benjamin Clementine left Edmonton, North London at the age of 20 years old to move to Paris and his apologue is the stuff that modern dreams are made of. Reports cite that he subsequently fell out with his family, when his money ran out he slept rough and then he began a capella busking inside the Metro at Place de Clichy station.

For the next two years he performed daily to numerous lucky Parisian commuters, and made enough money to seek lodgings in a hostel, followed by a room of his own. Now, at the age of 25 years old, Benjamin is bringing his talents and musical offering back to London; his native home, and if from what we've heard so far is anything to go by; well, lucky us.

His voice is deep and soulful, his lyrics poetic and melancholic. You can only imagine how it must have felt to listen to that voice live as you went about your daily commute, as simply listening on Spotify is impactful enough.

Cornerstone is the title track from Benjamin's debut EP of the same name, available now to buy on iTunes but has an official UK release in January 2014. It contains three beautiful songs - Cornerstone, I Won't Complain and London and all worth a listen.

His live gigs are said to be informal, close up and raw. He delivered a memorable performance on Later… with Jools Holland in October 2013 and impressed host Sir Paul McCartney, before two sold-out debut headline London shows at The Purcell Room, Southbank Centre  in December 2013. 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJJNl1p-PGA&w=560&h=315]

I wish Benjamin the best of luck and hope 2014 is his year.

https://twitter.com/BenjClementine

https://www.facebook.com/benjaminclementine

http://www.indieshuffle.com/benjamin-clementine-i-wont-complain/

http://pigeonsandplanes.com/2013/10/benjamin-clementine-cornerstone/

Domali Café, Crystal Palace

Being back down South of the River on a temporary basis has many benefits. It offers the opportunity for quality time with family and locally based friends. To discover new places that have popped up over the last few years; hopping on a bus to Brixton and checking out the Village Market (still to do) for example or working greedily through new eateries in Balham and Clapham. To revisit old, reliable favourites - like Domali.

Domali is a vegetarian-pescetarian café in Crystal Palace. It is a firm favourite with the locals and has been in business for over seventeen years, standing proudly on Westow Street amongst an eclectic mix of restaurants, pubs, bookshops and bakeries.

With a contemporary feel and local art displayed on the walls (for perusing or purchasing), it is a smart but relaxed affair. The atmosphere is bustling and vibrant and the staff are friendly but leave you to your own devices which means you can enjoy a lively Sunday brunch with friends or a quiet lunch, just you and a book. Domali pulls in an interesting mixture of creative, trendy types, devoted locals and large groups of families and friends so there is never a dull moment. Free WiFi ensures there are plenty of iPods/Pads/Phones on display, with any online activity fuelled by the great coffee on offer. There is also a seductive garden out back which is perfect for alfresco dining.

It is the food that draws me back time and time again though – British, Mediterranean and Asian-inspired fare. You can have any meal your heart (and stomach) desires; breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, pre-supper cocktails and nibbles or candlelit evening meal. Domali serves vegetarian and fish dishes exclusively but carnivores need not look away now. The menu is extensive and the portions are ginormous enough to satisfy the most hungry of diners with imaginative and fresh flavours.

Doorstop sandwiches come in a variety of wholesome combinations (the hummus and carrot is especially good) and the salads are substantial (vegetarian bacon anyone?). The BCM – Baked beans, Cheddar and Marmite on two hunks of farmhouse toast will defeat the deadliest of hangover, but if you are after something a little more refined, the smoked haddock fish cakes with chunky chips, tartar sauce and salad do the trick too I've been told. Add to the mix an array of regular and changing specials, delectable side dishes, fresh fruit smoothies, and homemade cakes and desserts and the result is greedy satisfaction.

Arrive early before the crowds get there to avoid the queue. Grab the squishy leather couch positioned by the window, order a steaming mug of the decadent but divine White Hot Chocolate, a Domali legend, and watch the locals go by. A perfectly brilliant afternoon in this unique Crystal Palace institution.

DOMALI CAFE, 38 WESTOW STREET, LONDON SE19 1RX

020 8768 0096

https://twitter.com/domalicafe

http://domalicafe.co.uk