CLUTCH | LIVE REVIEW
Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union, Sat 17 Dec
It’s Saturday night and the festive season is fully underway in Cardiff city centre: bars full of revellers, people carrying bagfuls of Christmas gifts, families enjoying the Christmas lights. But a bit further up the road, a gathering of a 1500 or so loyal music fans have congregated to witness one of rock’s best kept secrets finally play on the stage they deserve to be on. The mighty Clutch are in town and these fans are chomping at the bit.
First though we get to see an excellent set from fellow Virginians Lionize. Showcasing tracks from their latest release The Voyage, Lionize prove to be the perfect opening act for Clutch. With their blend of rock, funk and reggae, they definitely made more than a few new friends tonight in Cardiff.
With more people pouring in through the doors, it was time for Valient Thorr to take the stage. Striding onstage in a fetching pair of red cowboy boots, singer Valient Himself twists and contorts himself through an energetic set of Eagles Of Death Metal-meets-Motörhead tracks only pausing to invite the crowd to throw any “funny cigarettes” on stage. Blasting their way through a set which seemingly delights old and new ‘Thorriors’ alike, Valient Thorr came to Cardiff and conquered.
And so onto Clutch, a band I’ve been watching since they first hit Cardiff in 1993. I’ve yet to see them do a bad set and tonight is no exception. In typical Clutch fashion, they kick off with two old tracks: the rarely aired Passive Restraints, from their 1992 EP of the same name, and The House That Peterbilt. Such is their competence and confidence, Clutch rarely play the same set twice and can pull little known nuggets from their vast back catalogue, at any given time.
By the time Pure Rock Fury comes around, frontman Neil Fallon has the crowd in the palm of his hand, with Clutch’s ever-evolving fanbase lapping up every word. With their latest album Psychic Warfare, Clutch seem to have reached a new level of popularity, but they are a band that seem equally as comfortable in Cardiff University’s Great Hall or in a club environment. Indeed, it’s the tracks from that aforementioned album that really ignite this crowd. Sucker For The Witch and Power Player get everybody jumping and singing along, much to Fallon’s delight.
Lionize’s Chris Brooks joins the band on keyboard for a couple of tracks before an encore of Electric Worry and X-Ray Visions sends the crowd out into the cold December night with very big smiles. As always, Clutch have triumphed and no doubt they will be back next year and triumph again. That’s what they do.
words CHRIS ANDREWS photos NATHAN ROACH