They’ve played in a Porta Potty. They’ve spoken in spectrograms. And tonight, they’ve landed at Sydney’s Metro Theatre.
Clown Core — the anonymous Nevada duo who sound like free jazz being tasered by industrial noise — are in town.. The pair are cult figures, known as much for their cryptic transmissions as their chaotic blend of jazz, grindcore, gabber and absolute nonsense. Emerging from the bowels of the internet with their 2008 debut Surreal Cereal, they then promptly vanished, leaving behind a baffled, slightly disturbed fanbase.
When they did return, it was with a message: “WE ARE IN A TOILET.” And that toilet? It flushed out Toilet (2018), Van (2020), and the unhinged 1234 EP. Now, after conquering Coachella and the far reaches of YouTube’s darkest corners, they’re back above ground, blasting their absurdist vision across Australia.
First up tonight is DJ Driver, who is wearing a balaclava — naturally — and has another person, also balaclava-clad, filming him on what looks like a vintage Handycam. No decks for this DJ; instead, he perches on a stool at a table and appears to use his phone to cue a set that swerves wildly between folk dance and jazz. There’s no mixing — just sudden, jarring transitions. At one point he drinks a beer, at another he strolls into the crowd to have his cigarette lit by an audience member. And then, because why not, he ends up crowd surfing all the way to the back of the Metro. The venue is packed, and yes — there are quite a few people dressed as clowns. It’s truly bizarre.
Clown Core take the stage and stand silently for a few moments, seemingly surveying the crowd while behind them a screen flashes warnings: “Parental Advisory,” “Seizure Warning.” Then, with no real warning, they lurch into action. The backdrop switches to spinning images of outer space and satellite views of Earth. It’s surreal — just two guys in clown masks, one on sax, the other behind a drum kit, unleashing a tightly-wound storm of metal and jazz, peppered with squeaky clown toot-toots. I’m supposed to be taking photos, but more than once I catch myself standing still, lens lowered, just trying to process what the hell I’m watching. It’s performance art via meme-core, and it’s glorious.
If you’re still asking “What is Clown Core?”, you’ve already missed the joke.
The duo will appear in Melbourne, Perth and at Hobart’s Dark Mofo next. Head HERE for tickets.
Images Deb Pelser
