Third time I’ve seen Klammer in almost as many months.
Better be careful or I’ll start being called a groupie. Well worth it though,
Klammer are a band that shouldn’t be missed. Their dark, punchy, spikey guitar
driven sound never gets dull or boring. Like it was a couple of weeks ago in
Leeds, the sound tonight is superb, really bringing out Steve Whitfield’s
impressive punky/gothic lead guitar playing, the rumbling bass and drum combo
from Mike Addy and Bruno Almeida and the deep, brooding vocals of Poz
Strickland. Featuring songs from both their albums – ‘Star In The City’, ‘Somewhere
New’, ‘A Vested Interest’ and ‘Big Lies’ from superb debut Auslane. Heavy, bass driven numbers with subtle sawing guitar
noises that drop you right back in the middle of the best of mid 80’s goth with
‘Somewhere New’, interspersed with the fast paced, slashing guitar driven, foot
tapping, singalong punk (Big Lies) and the clever blending of Gang Of Four
guitar, late New Order bass/drums/synth that is ‘A Vested Interest’. Second
album, the self-titled Klammer has a
more consistent, much more punk feel to it – dominated by bass with a ton of catchy
guitar riffs tonight’s set opened with the driving force of ‘Power Of N’
quickly followed by the thundering ‘Reciprocate’ and the pounding drums /
piercing guitar of ‘Space Elevator’. Single ‘Everything Depends On The King’,
quite rightly plugged by BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, full of subtle guitar
picks leading straight into a thrashy chorus keeps the adrenalin flowing.
Highlight for me at any Klammer gig is the slower but no less powerful ‘High
Life’. Try listening to this and not wanting to let yourself go and bounce
around. Impossible. New songs ‘Magpie’ and ‘Spiral Girl’ give a taste of what’s
to come on album number 3 and it’s good. Top all this with the deep tones of
Strickland’s vocals and lyrics you really want to grasp Klammer are a band that
really shouldn’t be playing such small, intimate venues for too much longer.
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Opening
with a brilliant cover of Brel’s ‘Amsterdam’, also covered by The Filthy
Tongues previous incarnation as Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, you know immediately that
tonight is going to be very different from their Teesside appearance back in
October supporting Brix & The Extricated. October’s show was fantastic but
tonight The Filthy Tongues seem more powerful, more into the whole thing.
‘Amsterdam’ rolls into ‘Crew Cut’ – full on repetitive bass and a guitar riff
that cuts in and builds to a perfect noise between each verse. Martin Metcalfe,
Fin Wilson and Derek Kelly have been around in one form or another for over 30
years. First as Goodbye Mr Mackenzie then as Angelfish, both with Shirley
Manson who went on to front Garbage. The Filthy Tongues album Jacob’s Ladder is, to me anyway, one of
the best albums to be released over the last few years. Dark, gothic, bluesy
songs that stay well away from the niceties of life and instead focus on its
underbelly of addiction and violence. Tonight’s short(ish) 11 song set delivers
six songs from the album. The pounding, almost anthem, that is ‘Children Of The
Filthy’ - “it’s time to take the stage tonight, it’s time to kill the king”,
title track ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ features one man feasting on another, the darkly menacing
‘Long Time Dead’ while dodgy dealers dominate ‘High’ – “He’s as high as an
eagle looking for its prey … he knows where you’re dealing, you ain’t going to
last”. Throughout it all Metcalfe, hiding under his pilgrim hat behind
reflective shades, growls out the lyrics, occasionally crouching to hammer
notes from his guitar, Wilson stares ahead and along with Kelly on drums delivers
rhythms that drive deep into your soul. Keyboards and some extra percussion
help add layers to the songs and complete the process of drawing you right in
to the point that nothing else matters apart from listening. Angelfish number
‘Mummy Can’t Drive’ kicks ass probably more so than when Manson sang it. ‘Green
Turn Red’, from days gone by as Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, thunders along and has
the faithful dancing as does closing song, the classic Goodwill City, sounding as
fresh now as it was back then although thankfully it’s rare nowadays to hear
such toxic points of view as those of a Tory councillor that inspired the song.
Returning to play ‘Bowhead Saint’ we’re taken back to Edinburgh’s less cheerful
side one last time.
Two great
bands, one great gig. Will tonight make it into my top ten gigs of 2017?
Without a doubt.
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