For the third time since 2023, CLAMM returned to the YES bar for the Manchester date of their UK and European headline tour. While it’s almost a year since I last saw the Naarm/Melbourne trio, the potency of their music continued to prevail despite playing before a somewhat enervated crowd.
‘And I Try’, the opening track from the band’s new album, Serious Acts, kicks off the evening in a raucous fashion. While some ear-bleeding feedback makes me wonder if investing in earplugs might be a good idea, the crowd seems into it, and they gradually start to fill in the sparse areas as the song progresses. ‘And I Try’ pushes CLAMM into new territory and a broader sound palette. The inclusion of horns, synths, and metallic loops merge with familiar themes of identity and introspection to provide a momentous opener.
‘Change Enough’, a single from the band’s lauded 2024 EP, Disembodiment, is met with a glimmer of recognition as some members of the crowd sing along to its lyrics narrating the importance of personal transformation, “Never change enough, To strive for betterment, To be a better man.” ‘Bag I’m In’, another from Serious Acts, is trademark CLAMM. Rapid vocals combine with angst-tinged lyrics, a pulverising rhythm and hot-wired energy in what is another early highlight.
Herculean frontman Jack Summers’s thousand-yard stare intensifies as the band thrash into ‘Liar’, their first-ever single and a certified fan favourite. It’s a heart palpitation of a track – a feverishly frenetic garage-punk treat full of blistering riffs and vitriolic vocals that attack all of the senses.
Despite some technical issues threatening to hamper their momentum and an absence of the mosh pits usually seen at CLAMM shows, there is still plenty of love in the room for the trio. When Summers asks if we can hear the feedback on his monitor, one punter replies, “Your so fucking good that we don’t care.” CLAMM power into ‘Define Free’, a track that displays the textured, hard rock facet of their sound, and ‘No Idea’, a shredding new single that doubles down on the band’s rawest elements.
Built around a looping guitar riff, lyrics are breathlessly delivered and almost rapped by Summer on ‘No Idea’. The track’s suffocating atmosphere and melodic fury reflect a common theme in CLAMM’s music – frustration at the inability to change the current system. ‘Disembodiment’, a latter set highlight, is played with a strong sense of urgency, and its jagged riffs, brooding soundscapes, and Miles Harding’s relentless drumming go down a treat.
While the semi-sparse crowd failed to match the enthusiasm of those who attended last year’s show at YES basement – a factor that made it difficult to fully immerse oneself in CLAMM’s full-throttle energy – the trio played with no less vigour. The Aussies once again kicked the shit out of their hour-long set and showed technical prowess without it coming at the expense of their anarchic performance. In their new tracks especially, CLAMM proves that they are more than just a run-of-the-mill punk band and are a rather vital presence in music.
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