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The Clean, Dec. 2, Johnny Brenda's
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The Clean, Dec. 2, Johnny Brenda's
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| Photo | Brian Howard |
| The Clean's Robert Scott and Hamish Kilgour |
The rumors were true. The Clean were reuniting for a short run at the end of David Kilgour's U.S. tour.
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Above: "Anything Could Happen" |
The reality was even better. After a four-show run in NYC, the way-seminal The Clean — New York-dwelling Hamish Kilgour and still-antipodean David and Robert Scott — headed south thanks to the good work of Tom Lax: Siltbreeze records impresario and Philly's emmisary to the South Isle. While it was common knowledge that the Kilgour brothers would be in attendence, it wasn't so intuitive that Scott — a New Zealander not presently on tour — would be. It was to be, we were told, the first time The Clean would headline a show in Philadelphia in the band's nearly 30-year on-and-off existence. The band's reunion showed them to be something of New Zealand's kinder, gentler take on Dinosaur Jr — minus all the acrimony: the reluctant frontman/guitar hero (David to Dino's J. Mascis); the yeoman, good-natured drummer (Hamish to Murph); the bassist who'd go on to be as big a frontman as the guitarist (Scott and The Bats to Lou Barlow and Sebadoh). The trio was loose — a little rough in the early going — but soon hit its stride. David's jangly guitar and scrappy vocals, Scott's pulsing bass lines and cavernous, honeyed voice, and Hamish's slap-bang drumming and backing vocals combined so organically one could easily imagine this sound springing to life all those years in Dunedin. The band told jokes — mostly to each other — as they built momentum through the set, and while it was difficult to understand just what the heavily accented players were laughing about, they were clearly amusing each other.
They played about 15 songs between the main set and two quick encores (Hamish had to be at work in New York in the morning). Scott alternated between bass and a keyboard borrowed from opening act Times New Viking, and between background and lead vocals; David alternated between a six-string guitar and an odd rectangular 12-string; Hamish, a tambourine mounted alternately atop the bass drum and the high hat, rotated his kit 90 degrees midway through the set and stood behind his microphone to sing lead for one song. They played a set full of favorites, including "Anything Could Happen," "Clutch" and "Side On." And though they did not trot out the much-requested "Tally Ho," no one in the packed venue wandered out into the freezing early-Monday-morning rain feeling disappointed.
More photos after the jump...
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| Photos | Brian Howard | |
| The Clean | |
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