One of my favourite bands from ‘back then’ together with one
of my favourite bands from now and this was always going to be a good night.
I’m never quite sure why people pay upwards of £20 for a
concert ticket and don’t bother turning up to see the support band. Anyway,
their loss as tonight local Leeds/Bradford band Klammer put on a sterling show.
I’ve seen them a few times this year already, usually in small clubs, and have always been impressed but tonight their unique sound is allowed to shine in a venue
where the PA (and sound engineer) really do bring out the best of their dark,
edgy post punk tunes. Limited to a 30 minute set it’s dominated heavily by most
recent self-titled album ‘Klammer’. Opening with ‘Power Of N’ you’re immediately
hooked in by the it’s dark, heavy bass rhythms and slashing guitars before the
deep tones of vocalist Poss enter and treat us to “Come in says the spider,
stay awhile. The spider with an arrogant style”. And that’s the beauty of a
decent sound system. As well as bringing the best out of the music it allows
you to get a good grasp of the lyrics and Klammer have lyrics worth grasping. ‘Reciprocate’
follows with “She was his slave – can she be his master?” Like most great
lyrics you make your own mind up what they mean and how they might apply to
you. ‘Reciprocate’ pounds along with it’s classic punky guitar chords, gloomy
yet throbbing bass lines and drum beats punctuated by Steve Whitfield’s
Magazine like guitar solo. The drum/bass intro to ‘High Life’ should be way up
on anyone’s list of great song starters. It’s an almost impossibility to keep
your feet still and then that guitar enters again – a melting pot of
Magazine/Banshees/Wire – familiar but very distinct. And so it continues. It’s
dark and moody yet at the same time it’s strangely uplifting. Because Klammer
don’t just make you think they make you want to move about. Stick their album
on your cd player and I guarantee you’ll be banging the beats out on your desk
or knees. ‘Space Elevator’ powers along, far more punk than post punk before ‘Somewhere
New’ slows things right down. If you appreciate anything about the classic
Leeds sound of the mid ‘80’s when bands such as the Sisters Of Mercy were good
then you'll love ‘Somewhere New’. Sadly it’s the only song from debut
album ‘Auslane’ that’s played tonight. Recent single ‘Everything Depends On The
King’ really does thunder along with subtle guitar notes and raucous chorus as
it describes power leading to arrogance.
Despite the 30 minute time limit Klammer slot in a few new
songs that immediately put their 3rd album, to be released mid 2018
hopefully, on my must buy list before finishing with the unrelenting rush of ‘Heavy
Weather’.
If you haven’t seen Klammer live before then I suggest you
rectify this immediately. Don’t believe me? Have a listen
here.
Klammer play The Jolly Brewer, Lincoln on December 8th
and Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough on December 9th (with The
Filthy Tongues)
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| Klammer |
It’s hard to imagine just how many absolutely perfect punk pop songs The Undertones have. Perfect guitar riffs, perfect jump around beats, an Undertones gig is, quite
simply, fun. Paul McLoone on vocal duty since 1999 has taken this role and made
it his own. Never still, jumping up and down, kicking the air, staring at the
crowd, smiling at the crowd, waving to the crowd you know he’s having just as
good a time as the 800+ people packed in here. The Undertones, ordinary
unassuming blokes from Northern Ireland, dominate the stage with both their
presence and their superb guitar driven pop music cranked up to flat out speed
and soaring volume. Opening with ‘Family Entertainment’, ‘I Gotta Getta’ and ‘Jimmy
Jimmy’ there’s no gradual build up just those two guitars and those beating
drums together with McLoone’s voice all urging people to let go of their
worries and jump right in. As part of their continuing 40th anniversary
celebrations tonight was always going to feature a ton of songs instantly recognisable
by anyone who’s had the slightest interest in decent music over the years. It’s
a career spanning set going right back to the obligatory ‘Teenage Kicks’ –
delivered in all its glorious, pounding wonderfulness just one third of the way
in (not leaving it until the encore proving just how great a back catalogue
this band have to draw upon) together with both ‘Oh Please’ and ‘Thrill Me’
from 2003’s Get What You Need and ‘Dig
Yourself Deep’ from 2007’s album of the same name. Nothing has changed – the
more recent songs fitting perfectly into any Undertones set – powerful, twin
guitar fuelled, angst driven numbers. It would be easy to say the standout
numbers were those early classic singles. ‘Teenage Kicks’, ‘Jimmy Jimmy’, ‘Here
Comes The Summer’, ‘Get Over You’ all have the crowd bouncing but so does
almost every other tune hammered out tonight. ‘Hypnotised’ has the place
chanting “H-Y-P I’m hypnotised” in perfect unison. “You’ve Got My Number”, “Billy’s
Third” and even the slower, almost ballads ‘Wednesday Week’ and ‘Julie Ocean’
have the crowd joining in. It’s a joyous 31 song set that never lets up. This
is a band having as much fun as the audience. Jokey quips between Michael Bradley
and McLoone crop up often, while Damian O’Neill, together with brother John,
delivers those oh so catchy guitar riffs with an almost permanent grin on his
face. With the main part of the set ending with ‘Get Over You’ – “Dressed like
May, you must be living in a different world” the place erupts into a mass of (mostly)
middle aged exuberant dancing and singing. It must, however, be pointed out
that there’s a significant number of youngsters here having just as good a time
as the rest of us.
The Undertones return to the stage to deliver an encore of
songs that any band probably wishes they could have written. ‘I Know A Girl’, ‘When
Saturday Comes’, ‘Top Twenty’, ‘Girls Don’t Like It’ and ‘My Perfect Cousin’.
No let up in energy until the very last note. It’s been a fantastic show
delivered by one of the greatest bands to master that faultless, melodic
punk rock pop all those years ago.
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The Undertones
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| The Undertones |
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The Undertones
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The Undertones
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Fantastic review & pictures to match.
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