Don't let the fact that they have a song on The Lake House soundtrack deter you.

Last night I sat through two mediocre bands eagerly anticipating The Clientele.

[Digression. To this day, I do not understand why set changes themselves take 10 minutes but then once the next band is all tuned and ready to go, they make the crowd wait another 25 minutes. Unless it's a big conspiracy by the venue to get people to the bar as many times as possible within that 3 hour time frame. Which it probably is. Sigh, even rock clubs are victims to corporate America. End of digression.]

Anyway. The Clientele are kinda like The Monkeys on Valium. Except for when they rock out - which they did several times last night. The lead singer is also kinda punchy. At one point he mentioned that the next song would be a "nice little love song, so the people in the back might want to SHUT THE FUCK UP already." I like that guy. He reminds me of John Wesley Harding, who is also British, who I also saw once at the Great American Music Hall. I'm sure there's no connection.

Anyway. Check them out. Strange Geometry hooked me and I never looked back. "E.M.P.T.Y." has been in my list of songs I'd want on a desert island for a while now.

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Later in the evening I learned that one of the guys in one of the mediocre bands was from the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and then I felt bad for rating them "mediocre" in my head. He totally rocked out with the band. And then I saw a couple people from the other bands hanging out in the audience with people resembling their own parents, and I felt bad again.

Honestly, mediocre bands, I was there alone and given the 35 minute set changes where I had to twiddle my thumbs, I was lacking patience for anyone other than the band I wanted to see. No offense intended. Next time I will bring a book. Or a friend.