KLAMMER
POSS – Lead Vocals/Guitar
STEVE WHITFIELD – Guitar/Vocals
ROBERT LONGLEY – Drums
MIKE ADDY – Bass
Hailing from Leeds, Klammer draw on the members’ shared love for all things angular, dark, loud andmelodic. Previously described as the love child of XTC and Gang Of Four, they offer an enticingcontemporary twist on the post-punk attitude, blending elements of goth rock, punk rock and dark wave, all with dark pop sensibilities. You’ll find plenty of hooks and a dark and edgy broodiness coursing through their sound.
Formed by UK Producer Steve Whitfield (The Cure/The Mission/Jane Weaver) in 2014, they have already released 3 albums to great critical acclaim, with last years ‘You Have Been Processed’ receiving fantastic reviews across the board. The singles ‘Modern God’ and ‘Spiral Girl’ off the album, both received airplay on 6 Music. Having consistently played up and down the country both as a headline act and in support of some big name bands (including The Skids, The Undertones, Richie Ramone, Chameleons Vox, Penetration andThe Membranes), they have also played at Rebellion for the last two years and The Great BritishAlternative Festival. Klammer are intent on consolidating their position as one of the country’s finest live Post Punk acts.
Writing of the 4th album is under way and but in the meantime they are releasing their version of The Human League’s early classic single “Being Boiled” on June 3rd 2019.
In the late 70’s when the guitar gods had been replaced by punk rockers playing three chords. The next “Big” thing was already well under way. With Tangerine Dream and Throbbing Gristle at the opposite ends of the Alternative Prog / Industrial Metal scene, The Human League were about to launch their own revolution but with synths instead of guitars. Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, originally called ‘The Future’, changed their name to ‘The Human League’ in 1978 and with the addition of vocalist Phil Oakey they released the single “Being Boiled”.
The guitar revolution was to be challenged by a new wave of electronic pioneers like Clock DVA, Fad Gadget and Cabaret Voltaire. The Human League however, went onto the heights of the UK Top 40 when the original members left (to form Heaven 17) and were replaced as the band took on the guise of a pop band. The now iconic “Being Boiled” will forever be known as one of the first singles to break synth pop into the charts, although it took a re-release 4 yrs after it’s first airing to make it popular. There have been many bands cover the song, from Simple Minds to Kylie, but until now, the original remains the best.
The dominance of electronic dance music is now challenged by the return of the guitar. KLAMMER have taken on this giant of a pop synth track and harnessed it’s dark appeal. The opening drum beat plays homage to the drum machine in it’s robotic manner but brings immediate life and resonance before the simultaneous entry of synchronised bass and guitar come in. It’s loud, it’s powerful and it’s demanding. There’s more than a passing resemblance with the way Poss delivers the vocals to Phil Oakey, who also had a great delivery, whether it was on the early Human League music or the pop tunes that made them famous. Poss matches the sultry mood and has the right amount of edge in his voice to cut through the wall of sound provided but the rest of the band. The manic guitar of Steve Whitfield dominates all the way through the track and if you have never heard the original, ever, you will definitely want to know what it sounds like. Some cover versions are best left alone, but this one, not only does itself justice, it looms large over the original. As is the way with songs you love, often, first is best but this certainly makes me question myself. Having seen the original line up of The Human League perform this song live, I will now have to see KLAMMER do it! Watch this space.
Do not make the mistake of trying to compare either version, embrace them both and realise it’s hard to pick a winner. Guitars and Synths have been unified in this world for a long time now and it’s all the better for having two incredible versions of the same song.