CLUTCH – OLYMPIA THEATRE, DUBLIN, 20/11/15

Posted on by Oran


Baltimore groove-rock merchants, CLUTCH return to Dublin with a new bag of tricks from their astounding ‘Psychic Warfare’ album, which was released last month to rave reviews! Find out all the details for the bands debut headlining performance in Dublin’s iconic Olympia theatre below!

wClutch229

To see a band that have put 100% into what they do for a considerable amount of time and for the payback to finally start coming back, is a refreshing sight indeed and one that gives hope to future artists the world over.

CLUTCH have created bad-ass, blues driven hard-rock for almost 22 years and as we see them headline in the biggest venue they have ever played on Irish soil, you can’t help but have a smile on your face. Tonight we were treated to a line up that is all about cracking open a beer and letting go of your daily woes, as CLUTCH bring PLANET OF ZEUS and our very own The Mighty Stef, along for the ride.

wClutch313

Taking to the stage shortly after the doors open is The Mighty Stef, who brings with him his band of misfits and rock n’ roll stragglers! A sparsely populated Olympia sticks with front man Stefan Murphy, as he bashes out his trade mark low husky vocals over catchy, well constructed songs. The Might Stef deliver a captivating set, that pleases the slowly increasing capacity of the venue.  Having only played the Bataclan venue in Paris, three weeks earlier to this show, where the tragic terrorist attacks took place on November 13th at the Eagles Of Death Metal, Stefan reminds us that we should enjoy life, love rock n’ roll and remember our friends and families. A poignant statement for the rest of the night and one that should be remembered at all times. Finishing on a high, The Mighty Stef, bid farewell and make way for the mighty Planet Of Zeus! (3.5 / 5)

the mighty stef

Hailing from Athens, Greece, Planet Of Zeus waste no time in dropping riffs that smolder from the venues PA system. Front man, Babis Papanikolaou is no stranger to grabbing the audience by the balls and taking them on a mountain-heavy journey, through the bands 15 year history. New album “Vigilante” has attracted the eyes and ears of international press and it would see that the effects have made the band even tighter than when we saw them level Bloodstock earlier this year. See review here. (4.5 / 5)

wPlanetOfZeus111

As curiosity grows, so does the number of banging heads and horns held high in the now rammed on the main floor of the theater. Winning over fans with each key change and pounding guitar chugging, Planet of Zeus are proving to be one hell of a band, that immerse their everything into each performance and giving the fact that they are an independent band, who self release their own albums, their connection between each other is undeniable and visibly tight. Tracks from Macho Libre make an appearance with Vanity Suit being a particular highlight of the performance. Keep an eye on these guys, as big things are inevitable. (4.5 / 5)

wPlanetOfZeus125

As with every Clutch show, we have no idea what they are going to start with, let alone play during their set list. Tonight we were treated to the infectious “X-Ray Visions” which see’s vocalist Neil Fallon in full on groove-attack mode. Stalking the center of the stage like a possessed preacher, Fallon hits the notes with his trademark charismatic presence with the help of the always spectacular performance from sticks-man, Jean Paul Gaster.

wClutch135

Another slab of piping hot brilliance comes in the form of ‘Firebirds’, which seems to have made an appearance in the set a little too early, but none-the less is fantastic! How do you top an opening with that? Well, with ‘Cyborg Bette’ and ‘Burning Beard’ that’s how!

Sounding warm and well oiled, Clutch push on with, ‘A Quick Death in Texas’, ‘Doom Saloon’ and the outstanding, ‘Our Lady of Electric Light’. It’s a little strange to see Clutch in a venue of this size, as I’ve only seen them in sweaty clubs, so the experience is a little strange. Almost like seeing your friend all cleaned up and wearing a suite for the first time!

wClutch265

With a now packed venue, the opening notes for “Earth Rocker’, come fast and burning hot, much to the delight of tonight’s capacity. Neil is a man of few words between songs, but why would you need to talk, when you have hot slices of audio genius up your sleeve? A blast from the past comes in the form of ‘Spacegrass’, which just levels the place and inspires arms in the air chanting and mud-slide riffs from the magnificent Tim Sult.

wClutch256

With the Clutch engine now fully warmed up, we are treated to ‘D.C. Sound Attack!, Decapitation Blues, Son of Virginia’ and ‘Gravel Road’. All of which do exactly what expected, before an encore consisting of ‘The Mob Goes Wild’ and ” The Wolf Man Kindly Requests…”

Tonight’s performance had all the right ingredients, however there was something that seemed a little underwhelming about it all. Even though each song is executed with precision, a certain ‘something’ was lost in translation between band and audience tonight. That electrifying magic that usually pulses through the air when Clutch perform, proved a little elusive at times, most likely due to the size and layout of the venue.

wClutch125

All in all, Clutch threw down a zero bullshit set of blistering toe-tappers that turned the fancy surroundings of the iconic Olympia Theatre into your local dive bar for a few moments here and there and that in itself, is quiet an accomplishment in its own right. (4.6 / 5)

SET LIST

1. X-Ray Visions

2. Firebirds!

3. Cyborg Bette

4. Burning Beard

5. A Quick Death in Texas

6. Doom Saloon

7. Our Lady of Electric Light

8. Earth Rocker

9. Cypress Groove

10. Nobel Savage

11. Your  Love is Incarceration

12. Spacegrass

13. D.C Sound Attack!

14. Decapitation Blues

15. Son of Virginia

16. Gravel Road

ENCORE

17. The Mob Goes Wild

18. The Wolf Man Kindly Requests

Check out our interview with Tim Sult, coming next week!

Words – Oran O’Beirne

All Photography – Down The Barrel Photography 

© OVERDRIVE 2015

Check out the full gallery below.

CLUTCH  – DUBLIN’S OLYMPIA 20/11/2015

wClutch005 wClutch025 wPlanetOfZeus147 wPlanetOfZeus107 wPlanetOfZeus104 wPlanetOfZeus062 wPlanetOfZeus010 wPlanetOfZeus004 wPlanetOfZeus001 wClutch329 wClutch324 wClutch318 wClutch271 wClutch215 wClutch187 wClutch149 wClutch138 wClutch135 wClutch125 wClutch117 wClutch105 wClutch095 wClutch088 wClutch087 wClutch069 wClutch054 wClutch044 wClutch037

FOLLOW OVERDRIVE FOR ALL TH LATEST NEWS / REVIEWS / COMPETITIONS / INTERVIEWS AND MUCH MORE.

FACEBOOK ICON OVERDRIVE twitter icon OVERDRIVE