THE CLIENTELE +
TEARS IN X RAY EYES
London Strange Fruit (Upstairs at the Garage)
8th September 2001
I've heard good reports about Tears in X-Ray Eyes, but his one man show struggles against what is basically a 'club-night' crowd. Using just an acoustic guitar and a reel-to-reel backing tape, he plays a short set which I don't see all of, as I have to interview the Clientele! I can't really do him justice this time, but my initial impressions can be summed up in one word - Suede.
I'm quite excited about seeing the Clientele as I've only discovered their music in the last few weeks, and I've never seen them before. They don't disappoint me, although they play quite a long set which tries the patience of some of the crowd. Naturally I would have preferred to see them somewhere quieter, as the gentler songs battle to be heard, but you can't have it all can you?
Still, a lot of the material is so good it leaves most other contemporary English bands far behind, it's such a shame that they're barely known here whilst being lauded in America or Spain or whatever other country appreciates them more. As for the music, I think it's fair to say that they carry on where the likes of Galaxie 500 left off; not necessarily sounding like them, but working around the same framework. 'An English Galaxie 500' is a comparison I've heard a few times, and it makes perfect sense.
As for the music, they play bits from all phases of their erratic release schedule, as well as some forthcoming material. The faster tunes like 'Joseph Cornell' go down better, although the more wistful moments from 'Suburban Light' are equally welcomed by the people who have actually come along to see them. They step up a gear towards the end, with a couple of noisier tunes I can't identify, and then the marvellous 'Five Day Morning'. The other week, ,somebody asked me when was the last time I fell in love with a record - well, it was with this song, and I'm still in love with it now. Very special really.
