Listen: Benjamin Clementine Unveils New ‘Cornerstone’ Track

Tonight’s bill on Jools Holland is one of the finest in yonks. It brings together Arctic Monkeys, Katy B and a new face from Paris: Benjamin Clementine.

He originally comes from Edmonton in North London, leaving for Paris aged 20 before doing the whole sleeping rough routine at the city’s underground stations. Grim. And this discomfort, place-to-place sorrow seeps into his music, especially if ‘Cornerstone’ is anything to go by. Sombre piano balladry that goes straight for the gut, Clementine has something about him that not even the most starry-eyed of fame-hungry kids could aspire to.

This is the track he’ll be performing during his television debut tonight - it could easily end up being on the show’s standout moments, a real stop-you-in-your-tracks kind of performance.

Listen below. He plays three London dates in the coming months: 26th October at LSO ST Luke’s (w/ Sam Amidon), 12th November at Brixton Academy (w/ Woodkid) and 12th December at Purcell Room (headline show).

Benjamin Clementine - ‘Cornerstone’.