Alex Clare Blends Beard And Bass At The Fonda Theatre
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Clare feels every lyric he sings. (Cortney Riles/Neon Tommy)
And though Londoner Alex Clare is an Orthodox Jew, his hearty voice and downbeat driven thrusts could easily blend in with those of a gospel tenor or an 8 a.m. Baptist service shouter.
Adding to that, his newsboy hat, classic button up, well-ironed slacks and black oxfords, whose shine could compete with flashes of the furthest iPhone, read traditional, altar acceptable, although Clare and his iconic red beard are everything but.
Sure, he covers classics and leaves the stage as if the show is ending, only to return with one more song moments later, but Clare is not a traditional artist.
He is simply an old soul who successfully embraces common techniques while staying true to his organic craft. Not many artists can bring Etta James, Prince and Gyptian to one stage, but somehow Clare did, flawlessly.
The show drew from “The Lateness of the Hour,” his full-length debut album, released in May on Island Records. Following a 12-count introduction, Clare jogged onto stage, took a minute to delve into the steady beat of the double bass drum, the psychedelic sharpness of the snyths and the riveting drones of the bass—all of which set the tone for the evening—before opening with “Relax My Beloved.”
That "twilight zone" tone was furthered as Clare’s bounce to the beat—which appeared to be choreographed by a preacher—carried through the applause and into the eerie repetitions of “Whispering,” bringing the religious resembling performance to a cult like trance.
That hypnotizing spell, cast by the sensations of Clare and his accompaniment, was broken by the hastened rhythms of “Tightrope," but his seducing tones returned with “Hummingbird,” and the song “I Love You” had the crowd lifting arms, uniting hands and locking the eyes of even the most dysfunctional couples.
Clare veered off the slow track but remained mesmerizing, as he crooned “I can find a way to make you love me more than you do, Caroline." Even he forgot where he was for a second.
“I just got a massive smell, I just remembered I was in California," said Clare, “Nice!”
And as the green scent drifted, the set came full circle with “Sanctuary.” The lights dimmed and the crowd silenced, as if they were preparing to pray, when Clare began his first cover “Damn Your Eyes” by Etta James. The service wasn’t over as he returned to the "preacher at the pulpit" bounce and welcomed syncopated claps in “Hands Are Clever.”
Prince’s “When Doves Cry” was next, aging a few elders in the crowd. Steam ushered from Clare’s lips, as sweat spread from his pits to his shoulders to chest, just missing the ear buds that rested a little below his collar.
It was time to speed it back up, but also keep it clean with “Treading Water,” a Clare fan favorite. Upon reaching the chorus, he changed the lyrics to “I’m sure I’ll mess things up in the same way,” a shift that lead singer of Moshav Band, who opened the show, noticed. “He cleaned it up huh,” said lead singer and percussionist Yehuda Solomon.
Moshav's chemistry was nothing less than contagious.(Cortney Riles/Neon Tommy)
“Up All Night,” the first song off of the debut album, took the show to another level. The five-minute band jam session that followed challenged that intensity.
Clare returned to stage alone, with two more covers. Huddie Ledbetter’s “Goodnight Irene” (the first song he learned to play on the guitar) and Reggae sensation Gyptian’s “Hold Yuh,” a tune whose lyrics Clare seriously altered in attempt to avoid their infamous vulgarity. The hit single “Too Close,” which gained recognition in a Microsoft commercial left the crowd on a high note, but it was an acoustic version of “I Won’t Let You Down” that sent them home peacefully, and quite possibly spiritually fulfilled.
Check out Clare's album on iTunes here.
Read more of NT's show reviews here.
Reach Staff Reporter Cortney Riles here.
