Apparently I'd already seen
Clay Pigeon at
Foxfest in 2009, but my inebriant/politics/philosophy addled mind doesn't always recall the experiences it's been the recipient of; thankfully I have friends with little grey cells more effective than mine. This is particularly shameful as I penned the
Foxfest 2009 liveblog, on which occassion I opined that one of the band looked like
Zammo from Grange Hill.They took to the stage at the
Fox & Firkin once again on 16 January and, although opening the evening's entertainment, were by far the strongest act. Individual, competent and entertaining, they brought smiles and raised eyebrows to the slowly gathering crowd.
Although they were kind enough to furnish me with a set list, a week later I find it difficult to remember much more than the overall impression of their performance. I headed to their MySpace page, but it conveys neither their considerable musical talent nor the atmosphere they generated.
Half the songs they played are as yet without title and therefore don't feature on MySpace anyway, which is perhaps the reason it doesn't tell the full story of where this highly talented group is at the moment. I would imagine, not being a musician myself, that updating web pages isn't the first thing on your mind when you're creating. Communication is important, but without a product you're just selling your own dreams, and I'm sure we all have enough of our own sweaty night time imaginings to be going along with.
What I can say is that the members of Clay Pigeon are all impressive musicians, not just as far as their individual playing goes but in their live work as a group and the songs that they're producing. The elements are familiar - bouncy ska rythms, the nu-metal screech-growl, classic rock guitar solo work - but the overall effect is individual. When so many bands mimic the others in their genre it's refreshing to find one that creates something new out of what had seemed redundant.
I'm aware this isn't much of a review - think of it more as an exhortation to go and see the band wherever you may find them. But especially at the Fox - it's a place where people know your name, and they're (almost) always glad you came.
