Living in the southeast of the US I’ve had few opportunities to see the Clientele until the tour for I Am Not There Anymore. I’ve been a fan for over 20 years so it was a bit of a dream come true to witness the sublime elegance of their music in person. This podcast paints a fuller picture, adds dimension to them as people and artists rather than mere abstract entities or names on a page. Recognizing things like Al’s love of Borges, or hearing about the financial risk they expose themselves to just to play gigs in the US has been humbling and eye opening. The Clientele have easily been one of my favorite bands since I first heard them a couple decades back. It’s been a pleasure getting to know more about them in a more casual, relaxed setting, learning about their history and motivation, and to spend some time with them, so to speak. This podcast succeeds in bringing we fans closer to the Clientele. Well done!

Really been enjoying hearing the band discuss their creative process and inspirations. I was listening to the second episode they day they landed in the US, with no intention of traveling to see them (I live in the the “far” western part of Massachusetts and they played their first show of the tour in “the Boston area”). Their discussion of how they were adapting the music for a scaled-down, three piece tour intrigued me, so I booked a room and sped out to the venue as soon as I finished work. I’m so glad I did, the show was fantastic. Fans since the beginning will love what they’re doing, as they play old favorites and new pieces in their early style, but with a new depth and maturity that can be found in the wistful nostalgia of their recent writing and composition. It really is pastoral psychedelia at its finest. There were even a few, more fuzzed out moments (and a brief nod to Televsion’s “Marquee Moon”) that worked really well. They closed with a beautiful rendition of “The Age of Miracles” that had me near tears. All this to say, thanks for this podcast’s inspiriation to make a quick last-minute trip to see an amazing band play a beautiful set. Looking forward to the next interview with Alasdair discussing his lyricism.