On a cold and damp January night in Glasgow (is there any other kind?), a small venue felt tightly packed, paying punters huddled around singers for one final flurry of harmonies before we were shoved back to the sodden streets.
The night was a celebration, a year on from an album release, a lap of honour before moving onto new things. It was more than that though, it was a celebration of life itself. The stage was bursting at the seams, so it was no surprise the fun flowed into the audience, but it was a far cry from remote recording sessions, conducted in cupboards.
CLR theory’s debut album WAVES was created in the most difficult of times, and it bears those cracks. It’s a fragile record, of people barely clinging onto whatever they felt they had left, but there was also hope.
This EP, LIVE, recorded in The Glad Café as part of the 2024 Celtic Connections festival, commemorates the debut album and points the way forward. The release is called LIVE and if your mind is like mine, you’ll question whether this means the one that rhymes with jive, or the one that rhymes with give? As is often the case, there’s an argument for both.
With between song chat, including potential head shaving merch plans (CULT THEORY), and many whoops from the audience, of course it’s the jive one! And yet, the songs, the ethos of the band, the spirit and hope offer a blueprint for the way we should live, it could easily be the other.
The five songs here, including three new ones, hark back and look forward. The singalongs of ‘I’d Love You For Less’ and ‘I’m Too Tired’ are familiar, welcoming yet still fresh. For those who continually march forward, the tantalising glimpses of a giddy future on ‘Fizzy Feet’ will please and give you reason to hang on. The cheery uke plucks and rushing chorus hints at breezy adverts or rom-com moments before the song lands sweetly.
‘Rest Easy’ is delicate, but moves from lament to warnings before reaching resolution. Sometimes at gigs, especially with new material, the different elements blend into one. In cases like this, the song sounds lovely as it washes over you.
However, later, when listened to in comfort at home or wherever you listen to music, its layers unpeel, showing greater depth and character than you initially picked up on.
It’s a strong argument for live albums, a style of release that has been known to split opinions. This track is a great example that strikes a balance between the energy of a live show, but presenting the subtler moments with a chance to stand out with repeated listens.
The woozy brass on ‘Those Eyes’ ensures the collection bows out on a classy note, a substantial track with more bite than you’d expect. If this hints at what’s coming next for the band, it’s going to be worth hanging around.
For those involved and connected with the participants, it’s a vibrant keepsake, the claps and crackles of the audience proof of the connection. For everyone else, it’s evidence mass communion is still possible, in small venues and at affordable prices. It’s not just the rolling lineups that make CLR theory feel more than a band, it’s their outlook and spirit, offering a sense of unity that’s needed more than ever.
Main photo credit: Andy Reilly
