Irish band The Clockworks are now based in London and have been on their first headline tour. The last two dates of their Irish leg saw them play Mike the Pies in Listowel and Róisín Dubh in Galway. Both gigs sold out with the latter having particular significance as it’s a hometown venue which they have played many times in the past.
Mike the Pies in Listowel is an iconic venue and now firmly on the map for bands touring in Ireland. The light and sound are top quality for such an intimate venue. The capacity is 100 and to get up close when a band is playing is always a thrill. The Clockworks took to the stage and opened with ‘Endgame‘ and early single ‘Bills and Pills‘. There can almost be a surreal quality to a gig if you see a band in a small venue. You simply want to hold onto the memory of it. Having not yet released an album it’s an impressive setlist of 15 tracks with songs both released and unreleased. New songs such as ‘Mayday Mayday‘ and ‘Moses‘ are particular highlights. I was memorised by the fact that both Sean (guitarist) and Tom (bassist) both tend to move around a lot while playing, yet here there was limited room but no collisions on the small Mike the Pies stage.
And so onto Galway and the Róisín Dubh. Unsurprisingly the atmosphere here was very different. The buzz in the air was matched by the number of The Clockworks t-shirts being worn by the crowd. The set list was slightly different to the previous night and what a thrill to hear ‘Throw It All Away‘ at this hometown gig. Again the new tracks were sprinkled throughout the set and cheered on by the crowd, but it was the recognition of previous singles in the Róisín Dubh which gave the spine-tingling moments. The final trio of “Stranded in Stansted“, “The Future Is Not What It Was” and “Enough is Never Enough” got the mosh-pit going with no encouragement from the band – always a good sign. The Clockworks were obviously delighted to be back at a venue that means so much to them as a band. That feeling was more than reciprocated by the Galway crowd who at times seemed in awe of the local band definitely on their way.
With dates in the UK and Ireland all completed, next stop for The Clockworks are gigs in Belgium, Holland and Germany beginning on 16 November. With the confirmation of an album on the way, The Clockworks are building on the success of 2022 which also included support slots for Pixies in the States and appearances at SXSW and The Great Escape. Roll on 2023…..
For more information on The Clockworks please check out their website and facebook.
