It’s a credit to an international band that they can receive little airplay here in Australia and then proceed to sell out shows all down the east coast when they tour. US hard rock veterans Clutch did just that, and I was lucky enough to catch them for their final Australian show at Melbourne’s HiFi Bar.
Clutch said goodbye to their new favourite home-away-from-home with a second show at the HiFi (their first one sold out in no time), with support from subdued stoner-rockers Budd and Melbourne’s Peeping Tom .
For a Sunday night, the atmosphere was intense and the crowd was there for a rock show; I haven’t seen such long hair or so many Mudhoney t-shirts since the 1990s. Clutch front man Neil Fallon recently said his band’s new album From Beale St to Oblivion wasn’t a blues record but conceded that the influences were certainly there. While that may be true, the live show certainly was a blues show, albeit a heavy one. With more harmonica than vocals and more blues riffs than a small blues festival, Clutch blew away its loyal and passionate fan base with tone, energy and power.
The band played a mix of new songs and older tracks from their 15-year-old back catalogue which kept the energy of the show consistent. It’s very easy to see how this band has rocked venues across Europe and the United States since 1992, but it’s also very easy to see why this band hasn’t become mainstream household names over that time. I get the feeling they write music for music’s sake as not one song had a contrived commercial pop element to it. Sadly, bands with this approach rarely get the credit they deserve either in terms of airplay or record sales.
My only criticism of the Clutch live show was that there was far too much harmonica in their set; it virtually took over the show. Stretched over an epic two-hour set, the harmonica was a little tedious and a little grating. Anyway, Clutch has enough guitar riffs to keep anyone happy.
The support bands befitted the occasion with fans warming to the similar styles of Budd and Peeping Tom. Budd had a surprisingly big sound for a three piece and Peeping Tom showed exactly why they are one of the best hard rock bands in Melbourne at the moment. Their singer even quipped that he “wasn’t feeling 100 per cent but was 2000 per cent stoked to be here.” So was everyone else in the audience – many of who I’m sure will be there again if and when Clutch returns to Australia.
