Review by Hoverbee
A long, long way from Liverpool, Clinic kicked off the 6th show of their 2013 tour in support of their new album Free Reign at 158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY. Taking the stage in full Clinic fashion sporting surgeons face masks, Ade Blackburn’s with a small hole cut in the center for singing, amid colorful lighting, Clinic became a reality to me.
The intimate setting of Le Poisson Rouge provided the audience with the sense that they could touch the band. The feeling hummed through the enthusiastic diversely aged crowd. All in attendance were enveloped in the music, many dancing and singing along. The band was fantastic live and it was wonderful how great they sounded. It was as though we were inside a rolling locomotive. They played a well-balanced set list with the songs “Miss You,” “See Saw,” and “You” from the new album, “Orangutan” and “Lion Tamer” from Bubblegum, “Tusk” and “Children of Kellogg” from Visitations, “Walking with Thee” from the same titled album and a few songs off their early EPs. Far be it from me to argue with Clinic’s set list choices, but I very much longed to hear them play “Harvest (Within You)” and “If You Could Read Your Mind” also from Visitations. Ah…the longing continues.
Not counting that small hiccup, overall it was a very satisfying show. Well done Clinic! Being that I was seeing the band for the first time, I was unaware that they are known for notoriously short shows (about 25 min) and early in their career for never doing encores. The show was way too short for a Clinic junky like me, but the band did come back out and do three more songs. However, these songs do appear on the set list. Perhaps it’s a “faux encore” done to psychologically lengthen the show and make fans happy. Either way, I sparked like a match when they returned to the stage. After the show, I hung around and tried to snag a copy of the coveted set list, but to no avail. I did, however, meet a nice couple from Toronto who not only got a set list, but were seeing the band again when they returned home. The nice Canadian gentleman was quoted as saying, “We’re seeing them in three days, but we just had to see them in Greenwich.” Lucky lollies! The couple then let me snap a picture of their set list with my phone. Much thanks to them and to the band for making it a glorious 4/20!
Nevermind The Posers 