clipping. @ SWG3, Glasgow, 21 Sep
In their first ever Glasgow show, clipping. show that rap, industrial and ghost stories are a perfect fit
Lucas Abela, aka Justice Yeldham, is immediately striking during his opening set. It's not the loud, abrasive noise, or his rig that appears to sit inside a briefcase that would house a bomb in an 80s action film. No – it's more the fact that he plays a piece of triangular glass. With his mouth. The exact dynamics of how this works are a mystery – does it work like a theremin? A feedback reflector? A homemade midi pad? No answers are forthcoming, but his set falls somewhere between Prurient and free jazz, and it's hard not to appreciate the artistry here, even if it's not quite your thing.
K.Yalo, by contrast, comes across as a little dull. It's certainly not his fault, as his carefully layered soundscapes are very pleasant, and even get a little heavy when he brings in more beats later on. The visuals are also great, despite being too small on the tiny screen, but it doesn't quite have the wow factor that Abela brought.
Expectations are rightly high for clipping. in their first ever Glasgow show, and first live performance in three years. William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes bring the beats and horrorscapes all night, but the focus is, of course, on Daveed Diggs. He bounces onstage and the trio power through Blood of the Fang and Baby Don't Sleep. Both of which are excellent showcases for Diggs' lightning-fast rapping which is even more impressive live as he never once falters (or breathes, seemingly).
Check the Lock is a treat in its first live outing, and the audience participation that began on Baby Don't Sleep continues on Shooter, with Diggs becoming increasingly more flabbergasted that so many people know the words to every song, as well as their enthusiastic reactions. A pit gets going fairly early on and continues all night, especially rowdy on a run of older songs: Work Work, Taking Off and Wriggle.
Daveed Diggs of clipping. Photos by Marilena Vlachopolou
This middle portion leans heavily on the clubbier elements of clipping.'s industrial sound – never more so than the remixed version of Nothing is Safe that hits especially hard. From there, the pair behind the decks move into a more beat-heavy space, including the haunted rave of Enlacing and main set closer Say the Name with everyone shouting along to the warped hook.
Strangely, the two final songs, Inside Out and A Better Place, don't have quite the same intensity but they still sound fantastic – something true of the entire night. Diggs seems genuinely moved by the response clipping. get tonight. Let's hope they come back soon.