Clive on influences and dream line ups

Photographed by @chesterrjones

Earlier this year I sat down with Clive a "4 piece project" based in Manchester and Leeds who have been gaining some well deserved traction recently for their math rock experimental tracks and charged stage performances. If you would like to see C(live) they are playing Oporto in Leeds on the 27th May supporting brilliant post punk band Hollyhead who I have previously wrote about on the blog.

Below is transcript of the interview I did with them please enjoy !

Q : I'm in a room with Clive. They're all standing around me. For promoters and consumers who discover you online, which song would you show them to encapsulate Clive sound as of right now?

A: I think the new one that we did, it sounds like Toe the Japanese math rock band. Does it have to be one that is publicly available, or is it just in the works. But I think one that we've got ready now is it might be probably my one (Josh) , because that's like the first one we did, and it's we still kind of sound like that.

Q: Cool. Is there any, like, non musical media that has influenced your work, any like, books, films or visuals that you want to go for?

A: (With sarcasm) Yeah? Like, when you go on YouTube and you search in, like, trippy visuals, I watch them and then, like, the song has just come to me, I just get lost in the kaleidoscope, like patterns.

A: The film Threads, because there's an album called Deceit by This Heat. I listen to that album, and I think of that film, and they're like two things in my brain, and that band inspires me a lot.

A: I really like when you're under a bridge and you hear a train go over the bridge. I think thats what our songs sound like, a train going through your living room.

Q: Is there any moments that you have had on stage, it could be with Clive or just overall, that do motivate you to keep going with what you do ?

A: I do. When I played, it's not with Clive, but when I played a gig and there was a mosh pit there, I was like, wow, that's really cool, because I used to, I used to go in mosh pits and go, I want to stand on a stage and look at a mosh pit one day. And then I then that happened, Aaron started it as well. So that was beautiful.

A : I like when me and Aaron write, because a lot of times me and Aaron write something, then we take it in. And sometimes I forget, I get really self conscious and think that I can't write anymore, and then I do some work with Aaron, and then I remember I can.

A: My moment isn't on stage, but off stage. A dad told me that his daughter wanted my hair, and that's how you know you've made it.

Q: That is so lovely. Okay, this group effort, if Clive were to pop on a festival, who are you having for your dream lineup? They can be dead or alive, local or extremely famous, go on.

A: Glen Branca followed by The Wiggles followed by Declan Mckenna.

A: Beyonce.

A: Right after to finish the night, is going to be AC DC playing a three hour long set.

A: I want Doc Watson as well. And then on the following, the Sunday, the following day, George Harrison playing, for the whole day. And then after party at Tom's house. It's like, it's like a four hour blues jam with Kingfish. And with Jigglewamsuperstan. Skrillex, back to back.

Q: Last question, what would realistic success look like for Clive in the next year?

A: I'd like to do like a get on a support, like a decent support slot, like tour, even if it's like three or four days, yeah, just like a little one or left of the dial, we need to apply to that. But I think, because we've done this live session, I think, yeah, playing and playing in another country would be pretty cool.

A: I want to get at least on, like, a smaller, like, label, like, like, register. But I don't know if that would happen.

Q: Thanks guys for the interview. You just kind of smashed that.