Late on Sunday night I jumped into my car and headed up North to Schuba's, which is quickly becoming the place for great shows (Whatever happened to The Hideout being the next Lounge Ax?). As I was driving I pondered exactly what I would write about for my first concert review. Would I just write about the songs, the crowd, between-song banter, or what the band was wearing? Maybe, I thought, I would try to relay my personal experience through meaningful metaphors and personal insight. Just then, the sky above Ashland lit up with streaks of lightning, and I had my story. See, every review I’ve read of the Clientele (including my own) has mentioned the abundance of rain imagery in The Clientele’s songs. I had my headline: "The Clientele bring London rain to steamy Chicago." But as I walked into the club, not a drop had fallen.

Aden, the band set to open the show, had cancelled for some reason, and another band, which I missed anyway, and whose name escapes me, ended up opening.

The second band, Tenki, successfully fulfilled the rock and roll quota for the night. They played smart, upbeat indie rock filled with vocal and instrumental hooks. While some of their songs fluctuated through ever-changing song structures, others simply rocked. Their line-up of bass, drums and two guitars was enhanced by a trumpet/Rhodes player, who blew many of their sprightly hooks, turning good songs into great ones. I saw this band about a year ago at the Double Door, and while I remember thinking they were good then, they really had their shit together tonight. Not only was the set completely energetic, tight and at times even humorous, but they even got people dancing! (A coveted rarity in such a booty-less indie rock world.) After pleasing the crowded room, Tenki packed up and made way for The Clientele.

I pulled back the curtains from the window and looked out into the street. Drops of rain splattered lightly on the ground. "Perfect!" I thought.

As the members of The Clientele, Alasdair MacLean (guitar and vocal), James Horney (bass) and Mark Keen (drums) began to set up, they seemed a lot more casual then I had expected. Although the bass player was sporting new Levi's "Vintage-Range" denim-wear, as promised on their website, Alasdair, in contrast to the suits he usually sports in photographs, wore a checkered button-up shirt, ripped up cords and bowling shoes. The band looked rather shy.

While a surprising number of people cleared out after Tenki, a quaint group of extremely focused and terminally curious hipsters silently crowded around the stage. The "talking non-listeners" hung back ­- for now. Those familiar with any of the Clientele’s singles, or their freshly compiled Suburban Light album on Merge, may have noticed that the band really, really, really likes reverb. Tonight was no exception. It was great watching Alasdair doing his soundcheck "Check 1-2’s" as the reverb slowly set in. Again after the first song, with a timid smile, he asked the soundman "What happened to that lovely reverb on my voice?" It returned.

Reverbed or not, The Clientele played a breathtakingly beautiful set, performing stripped-down versions of their songs. While about two thirdss of the songs were drawn from Suburban Light, their newer pieces delved into deeper structural complexity and more Romantic lyricism, which made me antsy for a new album. While James and Mark held down the rhythm section with unchanging facial expressions, it was Alasdair’s guitar playing that completely stole the show. I would wait anxiously for the few and all-too-brief instrumental breaks and guitar solos, in which Alasdair would explode, weaving his gorgeously picked guitar through the rain clouds and up into the sun. While his left hand formed awkward asanas over open tunings, his right-hand fingers picked, plucked and fluttered for a few measures of Heaven until the songs floated back to Earth. If this band knows one thing, it’s restraint.

By the end of the show, the entire audience had fallen completely silent. It was bizarre. Even between songs, honestly, no one said a word. We were all enthralled, and I think the band appreciated it -- at least they got the attention they deserved. Although most of the show was very mellow, they closed with a completely rocking version of "I Had to Say This", Suburban Light's opener, and it made me wish they had rocked out a little more during the course of the night. From dancing to silence, it turned out to be a rather strange concert experience, but The Clientele seem to thrive in unknown spaces, missed moments and quiet nights.

When I walked outside, everything was bone dry -­ no trace of rain at all. "Did it ever really happen?" I wondered. Then one of Alasdair’s lines came to mind: "Summer rain... It doesn’t matter anyway."

"Perfect!"

Article and photos by Ed Anderson.