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Clockcleaner
Artist: Clockcleaner
Hometown: Philadelphia
Venue: Exodus, 11 p.m. Friday
Pre-show buzz: At their last Austin gig at the Chaos in Tejas festival two years ago, their set cleared the room. For the first two songs, it sounded like the most egregious Big Black rip-off in human history, from the guitar sound to the human drummer acting like a drum machine to frontman’s Sharky’s guitar sound, glasses and abrasive on-stage persona. Five songs in, it felt like one of the weekend’s most underrated bands. Also, they get many, many points for naming their debut album “Nevermind.”
High point: The guitar sound hasn’t changed a lick, but Sharky displays an amazing ability to translate deceptively simple songs into something tight and shiny. Nobody in the world needs a six-string bass, yet the bassist — a proper-looking gal who might as well be wearing a sign that says, “I’d rather be reading” — makes it work. Massive sound, massively catchy tunes, a whole mass of new fans.
Low point: Well, I’m sure the fight that broke out was not so fun for the folks that were involved, and the piñata filled with flour probably made the folks at Exodus none too happy, but Times New Viking followed by these guys made for the best one-two bill of the festival.
Post-show buzz: More than one patron was heard to remark, “Well, I just saw my new favorite band.”
Afterthoughts: They can play at my house if it means getting them back to Austin.
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