LIVE REVIEW: Clutch @ O2 Academy, Bristol

‘Tis the season to be jolly and all that, but Bristol is less winter wonderland tonight and more damp squib; when it rains, it pours. Still, it’s not going to spoil the evening of a sold out O2 Academy whatsoever, because CLUTCH are back in town with the first night of their latest UK tour, this time supporting the brilliant Book of Bad Decisions; an event that, to use the phrase, the weather really can’t spoil.

Up first are two-piece THE INSPECTOR CLUZO who, much like Peter Sellers’ bumbling detective from the Pink Panther franchise, hail from France. They don’t sing about espionage and spying though, preferring to wax lyrical about the delights of the countryside and agriculture with such ditties as We The People of the Soil and A Man Outstanding In His Field. Combined with the fact that they’re pretty damn funny – guitarist/singer Malcom Lacrouts reminiscent of a French Jack Black – and their fuzzy, 1970’s inspie packs a serious punch, the atmosphere grows ever buoyant as the duo continue to stomp through their half hour set, singing about Fishermen and cheese along the way. It’s light-hearted, entertaining and a huge amount of fun; there are smiles aplenty as they take their bows and leave.

Rating: 7/10

Like before, THE PICTUREBOOKS are also a two piece and play a similar brand of distorted rock, but their focus on the blues-ier aspects gives more of a ROYAL BLOOD and ZZ TOP feel than, say THIN LIZZY. It’s still a massive noise though, and drummer Philipp Mirtschink’s use of a bell stick on his kit is inspired. They have big tunes too, the driving Zero Fucks Given and bouncy I Need That Ooh sprawling out across the venue with vigour and panache – it’s good to see them playing bigger rooms because it gives their music a chance to breath and swirl, encapsulating the watching punters and garnering warm applause. When the band return to the city on May 9th, they’ll be back to the small club environment of The Exchange but, given their sparkling show tonight, they’ll fill it out with ease.

Rating: 7/10

By contrast, CLUTCH should have been headlining arenas years ago. One of the most consistent outfits of the last twenty years, even if an album hasn’t quite hit the standards of its predecessors, it’s still been nothing short of superb. Additionally, their refusal to play the same set twice means a new experience with every gig that passes. Seven songs from Book of Bad Decisions make up the set and yet it’s D.C. Sound Attack! from 2013’s Earth Rocker that opens the show, complete with Neil Fallon’s expert playing of both the harmonica and the cowbell. Tighter than a wetsuit, the O2 Academy is eating out of their hands from start to finish and it shows the strength of their back catalogue that they can drop the likes of X Ray Visions, The Regulator and One Eye Dollar and still keep up their momentum. From the likes of new mega-anthem In Walks Barbarella to deeper cuts such as Sucker for the Witch from Psychic Warfare, CLUTCH are nothing short of spell-binding and Fallon is a God amongst men, conducting his followers in the South West through seventeen tracks of thunderous rock and roll.

The new material stands up well too: Gimme the Keys threatens to bring the roof down whilst Emily Dickinson is joined with Hot Bottom Feeder to fire out a one-two of pace and sublimity; unfairly, they then drop Electric Worry with utter nonchalance as the throng of people shout “Vamanos, vamanos” with fervent passion. To follow that with The Mob Goes Wild is truly unfair – you can count on one hand the amount of bands who can effortlessly chuck out huge hits in quick succession, and an encore of We Light a Good Fire and Weird Times merely rubber stamps that even further. This world doesn’t deserve CLUTCH and their unrivalled brilliance, but here they are and we’re all the more grateful for it.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Bristol from Normandy Photography here: