I have to gripe this time because I'm afraid that if I don't, I may go insane. Tonight I had the privilege of seeing one of my favorite bands that I hadn't seen live before: Exit Clov. For one reason or another, despite the fact that they're from DC, something always came up preventing me from seeing them-- that is, until tonight. All I can say is, well done guys! I have the same things to say about Exit Clov live as most others do: great energy, look like they're enjoying themselves, wish set was longer. In that sense, this post is nothing new.
There is something I feel is worth mentioning, though. Exit Clov opened for HelloGoodbye in the Grand Ballroom on campus here at UMD College Park. Naturally, the crowd was filled with the kind of people who go to see a HelloGoodbye show. Let me state that I woke up this morning never having heard a single HelloGoodbye song, and I had no interest in breaking my embargo. This is probably as bad as my ignorance gets, but it's one of those situations where you know the name of the band and you know the audience, so based on that I've decided I don't care to go out of my way to hear their music. But the crowd made it clear tonight that they didn't go out of the way to hear any music by the other band on the bill, either...
For the thirty minutes before the show started and for the duration of Exit Clov's set, I heard some rough comments from some of these kids (I use that word intentionally). They're not really worth mentioning here, but they essentially make my ignorance pale in comparison. At least I don't stand there shouting things at the band or commenting to the people around me every few minutes about 'how terrible this band is' or 'when the hell are they getting off the stage?' Things like that are uncalled for. So, I did my usual thing and just absorbed the good and blocked out the bad. And I ignored the girl next to me when she said that 'there are too many girls in this band.' Really? I think the fact that they have two female musicians allows the harmonies to have more depth and makes the band more versatile because they both are multi-instrumentalists. That's just me... (gripe over)
Exit Clov played a curious set, specifically because they didn't play exactly what I wanted to hear, haha. I have a number of songs I'm very close to, because early in my fandom I had a select few that I listened to over and over again. I missed 'Working Class Hero,' 'Talkin Radio,' 'Band Seeking' and 'Violent Berries.' That said, 'MK Ultra,' 'DIY' and 'Killer Starfish' worked really well for me. Plus, the two new tracks they played (the names are escaping me now) sounded great (aside from my difficulty hearing the violin on the second one). Overall, a quality show from a great band (that deserves much more from an audience). I believe that tomorrow night at The Annex in NY and the LoFi Social Club in Baltimore on Sunday will prove to be much more hospitable an atmosphere for a truly superb band. Here's the latest video for 'MK Ultra,' a live clip, and a couple links for purchasing various items...
Exit Clov's homepage (can get all their albums and merch here) ;
Myspace ;
Insound
PS- How did I miss that they played in DC last week with Dengue Fever?? Why am I not on their mailing list already?? ARGH.
