Clutch bring the Christmas cheer to Manchester with a stunning set of songs old and very new. 1000mods and Bokassa are also in celebratory mood.

BOKASSA

Norway’s Bokassa have played some huge venues around the world, specifically when they supported Metallica. A sold out Manchester should be a walk in the park. By their own admission, they like to start on the back foot; they achieve this by striding onstage in Liverpool FC kits. Probably not the best choice in Manchester! Still, it’s tongue in cheek fun, and fun is the key word. The smiles that emanate from the front rows are radiant and Bokassa are clearly having a ball onstage. 

They play a lengthy set, at least for a support act. Over a dozen songs they play a career spanning set with 2017’s Divide & Conquer winning out. Last Night (Was A Real Massacre) is an early highlight with Molotov Rocktail following in quick fire fashion. Bokassa build their set of swinging sludge excellently and lay the groundwork for the following bands as the venue fills. They leave to the strains of You’ll Never Walk Alone, which is met with a smattering of boos and a singalong!

1000MODS

From Norway, to Greece’s 1000mods. The Greek outfit turn the volume up. It is monstrously loud as they launch into Electric Carve. Dani G’s Rickenbacker bass is a marvel on the eye and the way he plays ensures a thundering low end. Add on an incredibly dense layer of guitars choc with massive riffs and brilliant solos, and you have the stars aligning perfectly.

When 1000mods air material from their 2011 debut, Super Van Vacation, the temperature ramps up a little further. It’s a sleeper of a record but one that is essential if you like high quality stoner/fuzz/psych rock. Road To Burn thumps and El Rollito absolutely wails. All the while, the volume is never compromised. After a short stoppage for a crowd issue in the pit, Vidage closes out their set in emphatic fashion and all that is left is for Clutch to do what they do. 

CLUTCH

As the familiar strains of Chuck Brown’s I Need Some Money greet the lights going down, the crowd in Manchester are hot for Clutch. It’s Mad Friday and many people will have the out of office on for the Christmas break.

Sult, Gaster and Maines stride onstage and lay down the Wasted Lands intro. Fallon strides on, clears his mic stand away and immediately starts building the indelible bond with the crowd before a bombastic Nosferatu Madre. Neil Fallon is one of the most enigmatic performers; the way he moves around the stage, eyeballs the crowd, lives the words he’s written and sings with such passion is never not amazing. 

In picking a setlist, Clutch are always one of the hardest bands to predict. It’s no surprise people follow this band around as you genuinely don’t know what you’ll get at one of their shows. For example, there is nothing from 2012’s brilliant Earth Rocker in tonight’s set, however we get 1993’s Walking in the Great Shining Path of Monster Trucks. It’s an early surprise in the set. 

BLAST TYRANT

Slaughter Beach is a latter day classic from the Maryland natives. It ends a brilliant opening trio of songs. Clutch then play the first of a handful of songs from Blast Tyrant; one of their finest works. Worm Drink has an irresistible groove that has more than a few behinds bopping. Elsewhere, the evergreen and feelgood Mob Goes Wild sparks wild scenes whilst The Regulator sees Fallon pick up his guitar. The intro is a more serene moment but the drop is deadly and Fallon lets rip vocally. It is completely impressive. “That means a lot!” says the erstwhile frontman after the close of Mob Goes Wild. The atmosphere is absolutely top class.

As a couple of cuts from Psychic Warfare; X-Ray Visions and Firebirds; get aired with their usual bombast, the crowd at the front step it up with crowd surfers going over the top and the pits becoming more vociferous.

“It’s everybody’s favourite time…new material time…” remarks Fallon wryly. It’s been a few years since the last Clutch album; Streets Are His is tonights new cut. It is naturally up-tempo with hulking riffs and a great breakdown with rolling bass and guitar solos. There are plenty of tempo changes, and as a taster of what is to come, it whets the appetite perfectly.

TOP DOWN, CHASSIS LOW…

2025 sees three decades past since Clutch’s self titled record. It’s the one that put Clutch on the map and there is a mini set in the middle of the show this evening. Big News I & II are staples and naturally, those fans that have been followers of the band for a long time, greet these tracks with open arms. To keep that old school vibe going, they follow with Escape From Prison Planet.

It is Spacegrass that is arguably the highlight of the night though. The shimmering guitar line and the pulsing bass sound as visceral and vital as they did 30 years ago. Each word is belted back towards the stage as Fallon injects an incredible amount of drama into his vocal delivery. The ‘whenever it feels right’ lyric brings a huge choir feel and the way the song builds and builds has arms aloft everywhere. This is top class rock and roll.

As the band close out the main set with Burning Beard, they take a lengthy encore break. As the band return to a massive ovation…this is because the bathroom is, according to Neil Fallon’s admission, a long way away! Ultimately, it’s all about the home straight now, and Electric Worry is completely barnstorming. The slide guitar gives that swampy feel and the bouncing tempo allows Manchester to cut loose once more. Clutch send everyone home more than happy with their cover of Fortunate Son. It’s a brilliant end to a brilliant night of great rock and roll delivered by one of the best to do it.

Clutch: Website

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