One of the first gigs of the fringe at Tramlines, Dan Collins finds The Clench in fine form…
The Clench
Shakespeares, Friday
Upstairs in the Bard’s Bar at Shakespeares, there was a barnstormer of an opener to 2017’s Tramlines Fringe by The Clench. And whilst it’s probably fair to say health and safety would have had a field day with the manic vibrations the band created, their brand of raucous, riff-heavy blues was almost unapologetically loud: the band was tight and genuinely different to almost anything you’ll hear on the Sheffield scene. A muddy bayou sound, they almost transformed a packed room into their own personal backwoods saloon, with particular treats being the frantic skin smash of ‘Shit Loada Trouble’ and the foot-stomping groove of ‘Ridin’. What really sets The Clench apart, however, is the individual style of singer Jose Dalton, whose unique voice took a set of good songs and made them great. Now for a lie down in a dark room!
For a full rundown of what’s on at Tramlines this weekend head here. For a full list of the official fringe events head here.
