Little-heard songs you’ll wish you’d known sooner.
Tender, wry and deeply human — brought close-up with a warm, lived-in baritone and jazz-tinged piano.
“Songs that are funny, sad, beautiful and true.” — Stephen Fry
Catching the Light is a cabaret-style show — part live music gig, part memoir — featuring a personal selection of tender, wry and deeply human songs that Clive James (of Clive James on Television fame) wrote with composer Pete Atkin.
Even if you’ve never encountered Clive or Pete, these hand-picked songs make you feel you’re with a friend who’s letting you in — sharing their weaknesses, regrets, frustrations and joys, along with a rare knack for finding surprising connections in everyday life.
I bring this treasure trove to life with piano arrangements from leading UK musical director Simon Wallace, who joins me at most performances. Simon works frequently with Pete Atkin and is an expert in the James–Atkin repertoire.
Between songs, I fill in Clive’s backstory — the journey of a brash Australian “kid from Kogarah” who took the plunge and moved to 1960s Britain, eventually rising to international media fame.
Catching the Light offers a fascinating blend of song and story — part music, part memoir — unwrapping, live, one man’s rare gift for “turning a phrase until it catches the light.”
Compact and self-contained, it’s ideal for arts centres, cabaret rooms, small theatres, libraries, literary festivals and private events — anywhere audiences enjoy thoughtful, characterful songs in an intimate setting.
Watch the trailer
Clive James image: Shutterstock (Rex/ITV)
Tim Benton Sings 