Shannon and The Clams Cast a Love Spell Over Levitation Crowd at Stubb’s
As the October sky darkened in Austin, Texas, four-piece SF Bay area group Shannon and the Clams slid into focus on the stage at Stubb’s. The band served up matching witchy attire with guitarist Cody Blanchard sporting LED glasses with the repeating phrase “I’m A Witch”.
Throughout the night the band jumped back and forth between old tracks and new tracks keeping the audience members on their toes. Blanchard opened the night with a throwback song “It’s Too Late” from the album, Gone By The Dawn casting a “wicked spell” over the audience with his distinctive raspy vocals and surf rock riffs.
They continued the enchanting vibe with the track “Midnight Wine” from their newest album Year of The Spider as Shannon’s doo-wop garage vocals joined in. They jumped back in time again to “Point of Being Right” before jumping forward to “Year Of The Spider” and “All Of My Cryin”.
Shannon paused between songs to announce that it was Cody’s birthday and as the crowd cheered, Cody sarcastically commented, “Thank you so much for remembering!”. Things started to speed up with the catchy tune “I Leave Again” from the album Onion while Shannon and Cody slid to the side of the stage to showcase an incredible synth solo from Will Sprott.
After the song ended, Sprott gazed into the distance and stated that he could see a bejeweled orb towards the back of the venue. Could this be symbolic of a pearl that the Clams opened to reveal? Cody’s glasses broke and as he tried to put them back together, Shannon reassured him that he was still a witch. She turned to drummer Nate Mahan and pointed out that he was wearing a cape and that it was the most layers that he’d ever worn. She continued joking that the audience members wouldn’t mind if he took off a layer.
The band finished the night off strong with another track “The Boy” from the album Onion. Audience members held onto every word and swayed to the surf rock classic. This was undoubtedly a magical setlist and the band surely held us under a spell. If the thought of this kind of sorcery bewitches you, then you need to get out to a Shannon and the Clams show near you as soon as possible!
Review & Photos by: Rachel Imre
Like what you read? Follow our social media and playlist for the latest in independent music:
