Ben Sommers

Ben Sommers

Ben Sommers is a singer-songwriter from west London and north London, later based in Cambridge. He grows up with early exposure to music by The Beatles, the Barrett-era Pink Floyd and David Bowie, and develops an interest in songwriting during his teenage years. He begins with tentative performances with friends and goes on to form musical partnerships with Noisettes drummer Jamie Morrison and Max Taylor, who later founds Clor.

After a long search for the right collaborator, he creates the name Mozzy Green, with Ben and co-writer and cellist Anna Scott as the only permanent members. A set of recordings brings label attention, and 360 Degree Music signs both the group and Ben as a solo artist.

His first solo single, “Hillary, Oh Hillary”, appears as a digital-only release in December 2010. In April 2011, Mozzy Green release their debut EP, Robots, as a limited-edition four-track 12-inch and download. The line-up at that point is expanded to a three-piece with Ryan Thwaits on drums.

Sommers and Mozzy Green play the Secret Garden Party and the Cambridge Folk Festival, along with other regional dates. His first solo album, Avocado Chip, follows, presenting a dark, poetic set of songs about political figures, domestic stereotypes, fraud, wrongdoing and wider social unease.