Lazarus clamp
Encyclopedia
Lazarus Clamp are an English band of some longevity and interest, who can make a reasonable claim to being one of the minor, undiscovered, rough-cut gems of British independent music - but who probably have only themselves to blame for their low profile. Formed in Leicester
in 1994, the band's early intensity (angular, noisy, post-hardcore
influences were the most evident at this point) and musical ambition (often undermined by a semi-notorious degree of equipment failure and breakdown), earned them a combination of admiration, sympathy, and disdain on the Midlands
scene. An easy-going DIY ethic
has made them popular with soundmen, fanzines and fellow musicians, but largely invisible to promoters, labels and the press.
Midlands labels - Bearos and Sorted – provided early support, though the band's most fruitful relationship seems to have been with the now-defunct Guildford
label, Words and Works Rejected. A number of fellow travellers and collaborators (Bob Tilton, John Sims, Los Planetos Del Agua, MJ Hibbett, Last Harbour, Half Seas Over, Twinkie, The Freed Unit) have been familiar entries on the band's infrequent live itineraries.
As the band developed (and relaxed a little), and the line-up changed and then settled, Lazarus Clamp began to allow other influences to show through - English folk music, American country, and some rather deadpan humour - and became all the better for it. By the time their debut single, "Sea Sore Songs", emerged in the late 1990s, it was already a historical artifact, both in terms of the band's sound and the post-rock
scene that had supported it. Subsequent singles (North, Left-handed, Some Rivals) and the band's first two LP
s (Such as you are and still not seeming to mind and The more we are the funnier it is) provide a better snapshot of Lazarus Clamp's literate, spontaneous, scruffy, and very English, take on their ragbag of influences. These releases are a beguiling, and sometimes frustrating, combination of precisely-executed, off-beat 'alt-pop/unrock', peppered with lo-fi home recordings, and off-the-cuff improvised meanderings. The band's willingness to fall on their faces, and their musical and verbal articulacy when they pull things together, are probably their greatest virtues.
Never prolific in their live outings, Lazarus Clamp are still active and recording, but have been dispersed across the UK, and, as a result, their live appearances have become even more rare. In Spring of 2008, they released a double album, Death to Technicians / It ain't what you do it's what it does to you http://www.myspace.com/lazarusclamp, described by Drowned in Sound as 'wonkily elaborate' http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/3573020 and in Winter of 2009, they released the Against entitlement LP. This received excellent reviews from sources as diverse as The Sunday Times http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article6912395.ece, and Delusions of Adequacy http://www.adequacy.net/2010/01/fao23-little-red-rabbit-records-lazarus-clamp-anna-kashfi-last-harbour/
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
in 1994, the band's early intensity (angular, noisy, post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
influences were the most evident at this point) and musical ambition (often undermined by a semi-notorious degree of equipment failure and breakdown), earned them a combination of admiration, sympathy, and disdain on the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
scene. An easy-going DIY ethic
DIY ethic
The DIY ethic refers to the ethic of self-sufficiency through completing tasks oneself as opposed to having others who are more experienced or able complete them for one's behalf. It promotes the idea that an ordinary person can learn to do more than he or she thought was possible...
has made them popular with soundmen, fanzines and fellow musicians, but largely invisible to promoters, labels and the press.
Midlands labels - Bearos and Sorted – provided early support, though the band's most fruitful relationship seems to have been with the now-defunct Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
label, Words and Works Rejected. A number of fellow travellers and collaborators (Bob Tilton, John Sims, Los Planetos Del Agua, MJ Hibbett, Last Harbour, Half Seas Over, Twinkie, The Freed Unit) have been familiar entries on the band's infrequent live itineraries.
As the band developed (and relaxed a little), and the line-up changed and then settled, Lazarus Clamp began to allow other influences to show through - English folk music, American country, and some rather deadpan humour - and became all the better for it. By the time their debut single, "Sea Sore Songs", emerged in the late 1990s, it was already a historical artifact, both in terms of the band's sound and the post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
scene that had supported it. Subsequent singles (North, Left-handed, Some Rivals) and the band's first two LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s (Such as you are and still not seeming to mind and The more we are the funnier it is) provide a better snapshot of Lazarus Clamp's literate, spontaneous, scruffy, and very English, take on their ragbag of influences. These releases are a beguiling, and sometimes frustrating, combination of precisely-executed, off-beat 'alt-pop/unrock', peppered with lo-fi home recordings, and off-the-cuff improvised meanderings. The band's willingness to fall on their faces, and their musical and verbal articulacy when they pull things together, are probably their greatest virtues.
Never prolific in their live outings, Lazarus Clamp are still active and recording, but have been dispersed across the UK, and, as a result, their live appearances have become even more rare. In Spring of 2008, they released a double album, Death to Technicians / It ain't what you do it's what it does to you http://www.myspace.com/lazarusclamp, described by Drowned in Sound as 'wonkily elaborate' http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/3573020 and in Winter of 2009, they released the Against entitlement LP. This received excellent reviews from sources as diverse as The Sunday Times http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article6912395.ece, and Delusions of Adequacy http://www.adequacy.net/2010/01/fao23-little-red-rabbit-records-lazarus-clamp-anna-kashfi-last-harbour/
Singles
- Sea Sore Songs [Amberley/ Cleverlegs].
- North [Split 7" for Jonathan Whiskey].
- Left-handed [Bearos].
- Some Rivals [Split 7" for Sorted].
- Don't fence me in [Split 7" for DamnablyDamnably (UK Label)Damnably is a small, independent organisation, based in London, which organises performances and tours for musicians, podcasts music and video via its website, and releases CDs and records....
].
LPs
- Such as you are and still not seeming to mind. LP [2001, Words and works rejected/ Cleverlegs].
- The more we are the funnier it is. CD [2004, Words and works rejected/ Cleverlegs].
- Death to technicians. CD [2008, Bearos/ Cleverlegs].
- It ain't what you do its what it does to you. Additional CD album included with initial run of 'Death to Technicians.' [2008, Bearos/ Cleverlegs].
- Against entitlement. LP/CD. [2009, Little Red Rabbit/ Cleverlegs].
External links
- Kellman, Andy "[ Lazarus Clamp Biography]", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation