There's a distinctly low-key vibe ambling round the Astoria for tonight's - arguably weakest leg - of this series of shows. That said, there are plenty here to view the much hyped, shambolic rock n' roll spectacle of the ridiculously monikered And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead... First though there's the far neater and compulsive Merseyside meets New York muse of beatific art-drone rockers Clinic to digest.
Still sporting their regular stage attire of surgeon's masks, tonight, Ade Blackburn and chums are also dressed as Pearly Kings from the post-Christmas panto. Despite the diverting outfits, Clinic knock out a tidy half hour set hardly stopping to catch a breath. Upcoming album 'Walking With Thee' suggests a mild diversion from the Velvet Underground inspired, repetitive guitar driven sound of their previous efforts and on tonight's evidence they might just pull it off. Still, the biggest cheers are reserved for old favourites like the rhythmic frayed intensity of 'The Second Line', the playful repetition of 'Monkey On Your Back' and '2/4', the bizarre madrigal that closes their set. Undoubtedly, Clinic is a rather one-dimensional acquired taste, but it's a robust flavour.
The same cannot be said of Texas upstarts Trail of The Dead..., who've been touted as hard rocking goth punkers riding on vitriolic energy and a desire to literally tear up the stage. In reality they're a bunch of identical nerds who look so much alike, it seems they come from the US equivalent of Royston Vasey - scary. Their new major label patrons are hoping they'll ride the coattails of fellow US rockers The Strokes, The White Stripes and to a lesser extent Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. They can't. This is because, unlike the aforementioned, they have no tunes, zero style and are about as interesting as a Tracy Thorn solo album.
What all their songs offer from opener 'Richter Scale' to closer 'Teenhood' is a cross between indie, metal and punk without any defining direction. Consequently there's a slow reflective bit, a jump-up-and-down guitary bit and a 'let's see how many drum rolls we can fit into every single song' bit. Every time the result is predictable and dull. Worse still there are no signs of their self-proclaimed rock n' roll histrionics to their show. In fact, they are tight and disciplined, taking themselves way too seriously. Naturally they smash up their instruments and storm off the stage without an encore, but it merely comes across as an attempt to prove their rock credentials to their disciples rather than an in-built angst-driven urge. Four new songs are premiered from forthcoming album 'Source Tags and Codes' though its unclear if anyone beyond the mosh pit noticed.
Wandering around the venue towards the end of the Texan's hour-long set there are people visibly yawning and scratching their heads. Perhaps they could add an eleventh word to that moniker...Bored.
