Tuesday 01/07/03 Clearlake @ Academy, Manchester

Ahhh… the smell of sea air, the cawing of gulls, the waves crashing on the beach and some really big hairy men… er, what?! Tonight, Manchester Academy sees the bittersweet piece of Brighton rock that is Clearlake support the beardy greatness of Grandaddy. Oh, now it makes sense.

Well not entirely. This group of unassuming men have in fact invented the fictional town of Clearlake, a place they go to when the mood takes them. Some of you may have visited once before, on the back of last album 'Lido'. However, the bulk of the oh-too-short set was made of the new (and critically arse-licked) 'Cedars' album. Racy little number Almost The Same had tongues hanging out, but things progressed to the far more characteristically Clearlake melancholy. I'd Like To Hurt You begins by telling everyone not to be alarmed, but then goes on to do just that. It's a gritty stomp of a strut that shows absolutely no remorse in expressing its murderous intentions for the listener. Eeek. Sounds like good advice but Keep Smiling is not as simple as it looks. The seeming optimism is undermined by lyrics which create a claustrophobic atmosphere of suppressed frustration and sadness. However, the song is snatched from the jaws of death by virtue of a heart flutteringly beautiful melody that, despite it's best efforts, cannot fail to lift the spirits.

Still a touch nervous after the musically veiled threats of violence to my person, I venture a few words of criticism. The stage presence is somewhat lacking but will undoubtedly grow stronger with time and a tall glass of milk before bed. The deficiency of catchy pop riffs is not necessarily a bad thing. These tunes are not the kind to dash up and grab you by the throat but quietly stalk and eventually woo you with a thorny rose. A word of warning about Clearlake: you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave.