The eleventh edition of Somerset House Summer Series runs from 11 to 21 July 2024, staging eleven consecutive nights of live music inside the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court – the central courtyard of a Grade I listed neoclassical building on the Strand. Tickets range from £30.25 to £63.25 including booking fees (eFestivals, 2024). The series, presented in partnership with American Express, caps daily attendance at approximately 1,500.
The Building
Somerset House has occupied this site since 1547, when Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, began building a riverside palace. Princess Elizabeth – the future Queen Elizabeth I – moved in during 1553 and lived there until her coronation in 1558. The Treaty of London, ending the 19-year Anglo-Spanish War, was signed inside the building in 1604 (Somerset House, “A History of Somerset House”). The present structure was designed by Sir William Chambers, begun in 1776, and cost £462,323 to complete by 1801. The Somerset House Trust was established in 1997; today the building houses the Courtauld Gallery, over 200 studios, and the courtyard where Summer Series takes place.
The 2024 Line-Up
Thursday 11 July: Pip Millett opens the series. The Manchester-born neo-soul singer released her debut album When Everything Is Better, I’ll Let You Know in 2022 via Dream Life Records / Sony Music, and her track “Heavenly Mother” has been streamed over 15 million times on Spotify (Wikipedia, “Pip Millett”). She previously supported Ghetts at the 2022 Summer Series. Nia Smith supports. Tickets: £31.35.
Friday 12 July: A special guest TBA. Saturday 13 July brings DBN Gogo, the South African multi-platinum DJ and producer Mandisa Radebe, whose Amapiano label Zikode Records features the next generation of South African dancefloor stars. DBN Gogo curated a nine-day Boiler Room in Johannesburg, appeared on the Times Square billboard in New York, and contributed two tracks to the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack (Somerset House, 2024). Tickets: £30.25.
Sunday 14 July: Corinne Bailey Rae presents Black Rainbows in full – a career departure inspired by the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago. The Leeds-born double-Grammy, double-MOBO winner returns for her third Summer Series appearance, having headlined in 2006 and 2010. Ashaine White supports. Tickets: £41.25.
Monday 15 July: Smino, the St. Louis neo-soul rapper whose grandfather played bass for Muddy Waters. His debut album blkswn was named one of Rolling Stone‘s hip-hop albums of the year in 2017, and his streaming catalogue exceeds 500 million plays. Dawn Richard supports. Tickets: £35.75.
Tuesday 16 July: The Amazons, the Reading-formed indie rock band, supported by YONAKA. Wednesday 17 July: Polish composer and pianist Hania Rani, supported by Danalogue. Thursday 18 July: The Big Moon, the Mercury-nominated four-piece, supported by Our Girl. Friday 19 July: Grammy-winning keyboardist Cory Henry, supported by Scottish producer corto.alto. These four nights are priced at £35.75, except The Big Moon at £30.25 (eFestivals, 2024).
Saturday 20 July: Hak Baker, the East London troubadour whose self-described “G-Folk” draws from grime, folk, and punk. His debut album World’s End FM is framed as a pirate radio broadcast from the apocalypse. Supported by Bel Cobain and a Heartless Crew back-to-back set with Toddla T. Tickets: £35.75.
Sunday 21 July: The Patti Smith Quartet – Smith, Tony Shanahan on bass and keys, Jackson Smith on guitar, and Seb Rochford on drums. The “punk poet laureate” has released 11 studio albums and authored over 20 books since 1975. Her 95-minute set included “Summer Cannibals,” “Ghost Dance,” and a cover of Dylan’s “Man in the Long Black Coat” (setlist.fm, 2024). Tickets: £63.25.
Ticketing and Access
All tickets sold through Ticketmaster. General sale opened 10am on 19 March 2024, with a mailing-list presale from 15 to 18 March. An Enhanced Bar upgrade costs £25 on top of the standard ticket. Door times vary by event. The venue is a six-minute walk from Temple tube station.
A Track Record of Discovery
The Summer Series has run since 2003, and its history maps British music’s recent evolution. The Prodigy, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Underworld, The XX, Florence and the Machine, Erykah Badu, Jorja Smith, and Rosalía have all headlined the courtyard. Rosalía played in 2019 before her Motomami world tour and Grammy win. Little Simz supported The Roots in 2018. Jessie Ware supported Paloma Faith in 2012 and returned to headline in 2013. Songhoy Blues supported in 2012 and headlined in 2017 (Somerset House, 2024). The 2024 edition continues this pattern: Pip Millett opens at the start of a breakout year; Patti Smith closes with the authority of a five-decade career.
Sources:
1. Somerset House, “A History of Somerset House,” somersethouse.org.uk 2. eFestivals, “Somerset House Series 2024,” efestivals.co.uk 3. setlist.fm, “Patti Smith Concert Setlist at Summer Series 2024,” July 21, 2024
