Clinic - Joe's Pub 8/19 - Videos
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 7:18AM British four-piece Clinic has been making mordant yet formidable music for over 10 years now, and we were on the scene to check out a rare stateside performance by them last week at Joe’s Pub in the village. Spanning a bevy of musical genres including punk rock, krautrock, folk, and more recently funk and soul, Clinic have made consistency one of their greatest hallmarks by releasing solid albums every two years since 2000. Having never seen them perform live before, we trooped it out to Joe’s Pub, also a first for us, for what would be an eccentric and uncommon experience quite unlike anything we’ve seen before.
Joe’s Pub, for those of you who haven’t been, struck me as an odd venue for this show, since Clinic’s style doesn’t necessarily lend itself to a reservations-only, sit-down dinner setting. In fact, we here at BAL are more accustomed to the sardine-packed, hot balls backdrop where comfort and class take a back seat to optimal positioning and avoiding fisticuffs with fellow concertgoers. In its place was this classy joint – men wearing slacks and button downs, women who could have been seeing the gala opener at the Met Opera – a place that couldn’t be further from any of the venues we’ve covered in the last year.
Add this to the fact that Clinic insist on performing in costumes – this time they were sporting Zulu nation tribal gear with the usual surgical masks – and the overall atmosphere became even stranger, and to be honest – pretty damn weird and unexpectedly trippy. Musically though, Clinic seemed to be on their game and played several new tracks off their upcoming album Bubblegum, which as it’s name implies, showcases the band’s lighter and poppier side. We captured a good variety of videos, including their ultra psychedelic first single, “I.P.C. Subeditors Dictate Our Youth,” the raucous “Shopping Bag” (from their last album, Do It!), and brand new tracks “Lion Tamer,” “I’m Aware,” and “Milk and Honey.”
Tracklist for Bubblegum, which is available for pre-order from Domino Records, via Tiny Mix Tapes:
01. I'm Aware
02. Bubblegum
03. Baby
04. Lion Tamer
05. Linda
06. Milk & Honey
07. Radiostory
08. Forever (Demis' Blues)
09. Another Way Of Giving
10. Evelyn
11. Un Astronauta En Cielo
12. Freemason Waltz
13. Orangutan
Setlist from the show:
Reader Comments (2)
i agree that it was a very wierd venue for this band. the people in front of me looked completely out of their element and a bit confused by the whole thing like they werent even quite sure why they were there.
but an excellent show....they have been my 'new favorite band' for about 4 years now. i have new favorites all the time, but they stay on top...not quite sure myself what it is about them that so turns me on, but good music is unexplainable. at least to me.....personally wish they would ditch the masks though....not getting it...
Was sick and missed this show but seriously happy to find (via Eardrum) that you'd posted videos. Thank you!