Clinic (band)
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Clinic | |
|---|---|
 Clinic performing in Edinburgh, Scotland (2008) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | Indie rock, post-punk revival, garage rock, neo-psychedelia, dance-punk, noise rock, art punk |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Domino |
| Members | Adrian "Ade" Blackburn Brian Campbell Jonathan Hartley Carl Turney |
Clinic are a Liverpool group, formed in 1997. Signed to Domino Records, they are noted for their use of vintage keyboards/organs.
History[]
Formation and early recordings[]
The band soon developed early notoriety for featuring instruments (primarily keyboards/organs) that were acquired at various jumble sales and flea markets. Shortly after, the EP I.P.C. Subeditors Dictate Our Youth was released on their own Aladdin's Cave of Golf record label. The EP made the top ten of John Peel's Festive Fifty at the end of the year, and two other self-financed singles followed in 1998.
Signing to Domino Records[]
In 1999, the band signed to Domino Records and the first three singles were compiled on a single CD or LP. Their debut album, Internal Wrangler, was released in 2000. Album tracks "The Second Line", "The Return of Evil Bill" and "Distortions" were released as singles; "The Second Line" was later reissued after being used in a television advertisement for Levi's jeans. In the same year, the band played at All Tomorrow's Parties and Scott Walker's Meltdown, and toured with Radiohead. Internal Wrangler was voted Number 9 in Pitchfork's best albums of the year.
2002–2007[]
Two further albums, Walking with Thee (which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Alternative Album) and Winchester Cathedral, followed in 2002 and 2004, respectively, along with tours with The Flaming Lips and an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, performing "Walking with Thee". "Come into Our Room", the second single from Walking with Thee, was featured on an episode of "The OC" as well as an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and was included on the series' soundtrack album. Additionally, another song from Walking with Thee, "The Equaliser", was featured in the 2003 indie film Thirteen. The band released their fourth album, Visitations, in October 2006. "Tusk", the first single from the album, was made available as a free download from the band's official website in February 2006, and "Harvest (Within You)" preceded the album as a single in early October.
Funf, a compilation album of b-sides, was released in June 2007. Clinic also appeared with Roky Erickson at Jarvis Cocker's 2007 Meltdown Festival and later in the year toured with Arcade Fire. "If You Could Read Your Mind" from Visitations was used in the arthouse film Hallam Foe the same autumn.
2008–present[]
2008 saw the release of the uncharacteristically mellow single "Free Not Free", preceding their fifth album Do It!. The single was released as a free download from the band's website. The download also contained the B-side, "Thor". The band later released "The Witch (Made to Measure)" as the second single from the album, and "Tomorrow" as the third. After touring to promote the album, in May 2009, Clinic played the Moondog tribute concert at the Barbican in London, performing "Oboe Round".
The band's sixth album, Bubblegum, produced by John Congleton was released on 4 October 2010. A press release stated that the album was a marked change in direction from their trademark "hyped-up sound".[1] The acoustic-based lead single from the album, "I'm Aware", was released on 20 September 2010,[2] and a second single, the titular wah-led "Bubblegum",[3] came out on 31 January 2011.
The band released an EP of cover versions, Ladies Night,[4] in support of Record Store Day, on 16 April 2011; the main track was a version of Man 2 Man's "Male Stripper". In March 2012, the band was invited to support The Shins at the Forum in Kentish Town.[5] They performed the new song "Seamless Boogie Woogie Rpt BBC2 10pm". In April 2012, the song "D.P." from the band's debut EP was used in a TV advertisement for Weetabix breakfast cereal.[6]
The LP Free Reign was released in 2012 and mixed by Daniel Lopatin and the band. The album was markedly different from Bubblegum with more of an electronic/keyboard based sound. After a sabbatical Clinic performed with John Cale at his 'Velvet Underground and Nico' Lp show in Liverpool, May 2016. Their newest release, Wheeltappers and Shunters, was released in 2019 after a seven-year break.
Live[]
Blackburn's distinctive acidic vocals are a trademark of the band, and they are also known for wearing surgical masks and costumes while performing, as well as in promotional photos. The band are known to wear different costumes depending on the circumstances of the show: for example, an outdoors show would have them in Hawaiian shirts, while indoor shows would have them in their trademark scrubs. During an interview, Blackburn reveals the sound of the album the band are promoting while touring has an effect on their attire while performing.[7]
Ade Blackburn has said in an interview that Clinic wear surgical masks on stage as a homage to San Francisco bands Crime and The Residents. "...I like the way there was a visual side to what they did, but it wasn't something too serious. It was like a tacky pun on the band name. I liked something a bit more ridiculous like that."[7]
Band members[]
Current members:
- Adrian "Ade" Blackburn – vocals, guitar, keyboards, melodica, bass (1997- )
- Brian Campbell – bass guitar, flute, backing vocals (1997- )
- Jonathan "Hartley" Hartley – guitar, keyboards, clarinet, drums, bass (1997- )
- Carl Turney – drums, piano, backing vocals (1997- )
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [8] |
UK Indie [9] |
US Indie [10] | ||||||||||||
| Internal Wrangler | 142 | 25 | — | |||||||||||
| Walking with Thee |
|
133 | 20 | 29 | ||||||||||
| Winchester Cathedral |
|
— | 29 | — | ||||||||||
| Visitations |
|
— | 47 | — | ||||||||||
| Do It! |
|
— | 42 | — | ||||||||||
| Bubblegum |
|
— | — | — | ||||||||||
| Free Reign |
|
— | — | — | ||||||||||
| Wheeltappers and Shunters |
|
— | 33 | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums[]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Clinic |
|
| Funf |
|
| Free Reign II |
|
EPs[]
- Operating at a Theatre Near You Vol. 1 (2004)
- Ladies Night (2011)[4]
Singles[]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [8] |
UK Indie [11] |
SCO [12] | ||||||||||||
| 1997 | "I.P.C. Subeditors Dictate Our Youth" | — | — | — | Clinic | |||||||||
| 1998 | "Monkey on Your Back" | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Cement Mixer" | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1999 | "The Second Line" | 112 | 24 | — | Internal Wrangler | |||||||||
| 2000 | "The Return of Evil Bill" | 70 | 13 | 88 | ||||||||||
| "Distortions" | 80 | 15 | — | |||||||||||
| "The Second Line" (re-release) | 56 | 10 | 62 | |||||||||||
| 2002 | "Walking with Thee" | 65 | 13 | 79 | Walking with Thee | |||||||||
| "Come into Our Room" | 85 | 20 | — | |||||||||||
| 2004 | "The Magician" | 77 | 11 | — | Winchester Cathedral | |||||||||
| "Circle of Fifths" | 89 | 23 | — | |||||||||||
| 2006 | "Tusk" | — | — | — | Visitations | |||||||||
| "Harvest" | 137 | 6 | — | |||||||||||
| 2007 | "If You Could Read Your Mind" | — | 6 | — | ||||||||||
| 2008 | "Free Not Free" | — | — | — | Do It! | |||||||||
| "The Witch (Made to Measure)" | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Tomorrow" | — | 37 | — | |||||||||||
| 2010 | "I'm Aware" | — | — | — | Bubblegum | |||||||||
| 2011 | "Bubblegum" | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 2012 | "Miss You" | — | — | — | Free Reign | |||||||||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
References[]
- ^ "Domino | Albums | Bubblegum". Dominorecordco.com. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Domino | Singles | I'm Aware". Dominorecordco.com. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Domino | News | Free download of a remix of 'Bubblegum' by Clinic". Dominorecordco.com. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Clinic - Ladies Night". Clinicvoot.org. 16 April 2011. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "First 2012 Live Dates Confirmed". clinicvoot.org. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
- ^ "Weetabix Golden Syrup: Dad's Day Out". tvadmusic.com. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "CLINIC: MORE OF A NUNNY STATE - L.A. RECORD". larecord.com. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b UK chart positions:
- "UK chart peaks". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- *Chart Log UK "Chart Log UK 1994–2010: C> Clinic". zobbel - Dipl.-Bibl.(FH) Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ UK independent album chart peaks:
- "Internal Wrangler". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- "Walking with Thee". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- "Winchester Cathedral". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- "Visitations". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- "Do It!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- "Wheeltappers and Shunters". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ US independent album chart peaks:
- "Walking with Thee". Billboard. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ Independent singles chart peaks:
- "The Second Line". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "The Return of Evil Bill". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "Distortions". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "The Second Line (re-release)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "Walking with Thee". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "Come into Our Room". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "The Magician". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "Circle of Fifths". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "Harvest". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "If You Could Read Your Mind". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "Tomorrow". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ Scottish singles chart peaks:
- "The Return of Evil Bill". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "The Second Line (re-release)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "Walking with Thee". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
External links[]
- Clinic discography at MusicBrainz
- Clinic at AllMusic
- Clinic interview at Prefix Magazine
- "Behind the Uniform: Clinic's Fetishized Fashion" CBC Radio 3 live concert session; story by Nicolas Bragg, photography by Joanne K.
- Clinic interview on Music Towers
| show Authority control  |
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- Musical groups from Liverpool
- Musical groups established in 1997
- Post-punk revival music groups
- English indie rock groups
- Domino Recording Company artists
- 1997 establishments in England