Photo Recap: NYE 2016 Clutch Family Style

2016 came in with a roar and a cowbell. CLUTCH killed it at Bogart's, an intimate and infamous venue that's been a staple of the Cincinnati scene since the mid 70's as a concert hot spot and as early as 1905 as vaudeville venue. We were super stoked to be there shooting for ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama.

You've heard of "The Hottest Band in the Land... KISS" 

and "The Only Band That Matters... The Clash." 

Now meet "The Best Metal Band With Cow Bell... CLUTCH!!"



D.C. Sound Attack indeed!! What a welcome for 2016.

Click the image below for our  full Clutch NYE slide show. 

More photo favs are embedded at the bottom of this feature as well. Photo credit: Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

One thing we dig about Clutch is the band members take turns writing the set lists. I don't know who planned the NYE show, but it was a stellar mix of old school and new tunes and the pre-show music was a big ol' Lemmy fest.



*Pure Rock Fury was played instead of Son of Virginia.

We've been fans of Clutch's unique rock stylings since they began in the early 90's and we're happy to see them finally getting the critical acclaim and wider audience they deserve. Clutch fans are some of the friendliest, most unpretentious people out there and it's always a great vibe at shows.

 



One thing we love about Bogart's is their all ages shows truly are. We're not talking just 18+ under agers. Kids were welcome at the Clutch NYE show and some of the next gen rail riders even left with drum sticks and guitar picks!



 

NYE can be a time of reflection and of celebrating the old and new. Speaking of old, I was there with my husband of 15 years, a guy I've been catching Clutch with since the early 90's. And we made a whole slew of new friends at the show, and met others in person that we've known on line from the Clutch facebook group!

One of our new friends confessed to discovering the first Clutch album when she worked at a college radio station. It wasn't getting much air play, and she loved it so much she stole it. She admitted to feeling a twinge guilty in later years, but she's made amends by spreading the Clutch love since then. In fact, she was there with her boyfriend who was a live Clutch virgin till the Cleveland show the night before. By NYE he was an enthusiastic full convert! 

Our Clutch initiation was less dramatic. We were turned on to their first album by mutual friends and have caught them every chance we get for the past 20+ years. 

 



I've been shooting and reviewing their shows for about the past 5 years and it was truly a treat to catch Neil for a video interview right before Earth Rocker came out a few years back.

Click here for more of our past CLUTCH coverage.

Happy new year all. Hope 2016 is filled with music, creativity, laughter, friends, family and fun. We'll see you out there.

Remember to check back with ChiIL Live Shows for arts & entertainment news, reviews, interviews and giveaways for Chi, IL and beyond.

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Fan Shot Favs Clutch NYE:

Favorite Show Shots Clutch NYE: 

Just another brick in the wall.... Had to include this. Security was standing on cinder blocks in the photo pit so they'd have better sight lines on the crowd. Never seen anything like it!

PHOTO RECAP: CIMMfest Thursday Subterranean Shows #CIMMfest2014

ChiIL Live Shows was there... were you?!

THURSDAY Photo Recap: Tall Walker + Mighty Fox + North By North Live at Subterranean.  This show kicks off the Chicago International Movies and Music Festival (CIMMFest) 

Check out our full set of LIVE Show Shots from 5/1/14 in the Slide Show Here:
(Favorites are embedded below. **(Click here for ChiIL Live Shows' SmugMug site, to see them broken down by band. Check out thousands of our original photos from these & lots more sweet shows & music fests.)**

http://chiilliveshows.smugmug.com/gallery/showoff.mg?AlbumID=38924601&AlbumKey=nLhdFC&ImageID=3217841745&ImageKey=zm3MPHn

Tall Walker:

Listen on iTunes: https://itun.es/i66z6vQ.  Like what you hear?  Show 'em some vote love. 

Tall Walker is a top 10 finalist for the Chicago RedEye's Rock N' Vote competition! Please VOTE and SHARE with all your friends so they can play Lincoln Hall AND Taste of Chicago! Thanks for everyones support! 

VOTE HERE: http://goo.gl/yvWmnN.

200 bands entered, 10 made the cut. Meet the finalists for our 11th annual Rock 'n' Vote contest and vote for your picks! http://bit.ly/1pOo1cQ

The top 4 will headline a show at Lincoln Hall on May 22. Tickets, here: http://bit.ly/RNVtickets. 

Mighty Fox: 

These guys were a sweet surprise, with great energy, enthusiasm, moves, and the musical talent to back it all up.  The comparisons to early U2 are apt. Check out these local boys. They're particularly fun live, with beautiful ballads and a pogoing punk edge. 

Mighty Fox isn’t just a musical project but rather a journey. As an up-and-coming group based in Chicago that has already gotten industry professionals stirring, it’s clear that this project is more than just a “band” but rather a way of life for the musicians involved. Each song has the listener noticing the many different artists that influence Mighty Fox and how they’ve effected the lives of the members. With bands like Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, U2, Mumford & Sons, and Go Radio being considered substantial influences, Mighty Fox has a very well rounded sound that anyone and everyone can relate to and enjoy. Don’t let the names fool you though. Mighty Fox has definitely found a sound of their own which translates incredibly to their live show.

North By North: 

This is the trio we came to see. We dug the advanced press copy of their new release and what we've heard on line. So, we've been trying to catch these Chicago locals live for months. They just came off a mini tour, playing Nashville, and are heading for NYC. Word is, there's a decent label scoping them out! Catch 'em while you can, so you can say you saw them first.  Ones to watch.

Hey New York peeps:  They're heading your way this week and will be headlining The Rock Shop on Wednesday, May 7th. Also performing will be Old table,Huge Pupils, and The Judy Blooms. 

The Fox & The Hounds:

It was a fox filled evening, with 2 foxcentric bands on the bill, though we preferred the mighty.  Congrats to The Fox & The Hounds, Battle of the Bands winners. We first caught them last Friday at Moe's for the championship round. They finished in a dead heat with our friends, When Flying Feels Like Falling (who are more to our taste), so ultimately it came down to who brought the biggest audience to the finals. 

The lead singer has a decent voice, but the rest of the band is fairly unremarkable, and they seem to be relying more on skimpy costumes than song writing of any substance. Still, they're young, so it's soon to say. They may evolve into something buzzworthy. We did dig the bare feet!