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Review: George Clanton, Strange Brew – ‘Drunken bliss and full-blown chaos’
George Clanton has built his reputation as vaporwave’s romantic – a producer and vocalist who turns nostalgia and neon fuzz into big, emotional synth-pop.
On record he’s dreamy and sentimental. Onstage at Bristol’s Strange Brew, he was something else entirely: part joker, part frontman and part inebriated but fully determined to leave his mark on the Fairfax Street venue.
The Virginia-born artist emerged to Creed’s My Sacrifice, half-empty multipack of Coronas clutched like a trophy, and downed one on the spot. This would go on to set the tone for the night. As would Clanton’s first words – “You alright, shaggers?” – a phrase he admitted someone backstage had told him to utter.
There was a joyful tone of drunken disorder, chaos and mischief throughout Clanton’s set
He then passionately introduced his drummer, ‘Scott from Portishead’, before launching into the opener, Livin Loose, with synths blaring full-throttle. From the first beat, it was clear that nothing about the night would be subtle.
What followed was energetic, chaotic and everything in between. Clanton would continue through his setlist – including standout, fan-favourite tracks like Warmpop, Make it Forever, Everything Blue – punctuating each song far from elegantly but joyfully with airhorn blasts.
Between songs, Clanton regularly interjected to offer a shoutout to the “Bristol Metropolitan Area”, the crowd erupting at every mention – a stark contrast to the frenzied booing that greeted every reference to the artist’s home country: the US.
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In fact, Clanton was so enamoured with the Bristol Metropolitan Area that he declared it the best place in the world – largely, he claimed, because it was the only UK city on his tour to sell out.
Appreciative but confused, he expressed his befuddlement at the fact that a random city in the UK – Bristol – had him playing to a sold-out room of rabid fans, while back home in the US filling venues seemed much trickier.
Stalling, waiting for someone from the venue to arrive with tape for a makeshift repair to his kit before continuing, Clanton offered an absurd analogy of how being in Bristol made him feel.
The Virginia-born artist compared a hypothetical ordeal of a cross-Atlantic flight to Indianapolis, followed by overnight stays there and in nearby Columbus, Ohio, to the bliss of then travelling to the US Virgin Islands – and being blown on a beach.
That, he claimed, perfectly captures the sensation he felt of being in Bristol.
Strange Brew was the only one of Clanton’s UK shows to sell out, and the turnout topped most of his US shows too
His setlist would go on to swing between drunken bliss and full-blown chaos – hard-hitters like Justify Your Life and I Been Young drawing raucous reactions, with the crowd bouncing along fervently as Clanton doused them with water and… baby powder?
As the set neared completion, Clanton launched himself into the crowd during the track Punch Down – and swiftly found himself on Strange Brew’s floor. Scrambling to his feet, laughing, he would continue like a true professional, clearly unbothered by the fall.
After a brief departure, the artist returned for his encore: “I’m glad you shouted ‘one more song!”, he teased, “because we’re gonna’ play two”.
Whether he drunkenly forgot what he had just promised or just couldn’t stop himself, he ended up playing three: You Lost Me There, Livin Loose (for a second time) and finally Bleed.
Clanton didn’t just play Bristol – he threw himself in headfirst, fuelled by cheap Mexican booze and pure chaotic joy. And boy, did he leave a mark – one that I don’t think either Ibuprofen nor Paracetamol could fix the next morning.
All images: Josh Templeman
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