Men Are Boys Again With Claw Boys Claw

There are a few certainties in life. The sun rises in the morning, the pope is a catholic and clowns are scary. Another one is that a Claw Boys Claw show is always great fun. We've known that for thirty years now. So with a new record out and a club tour it's time to meet our friends again and prepare for an old fashioned good night of rock 'n' roll.



Claw Boys Claw at Paradiso Amsterdam, May 31 2013

The fan base of Claw Boys Claw has grown older with the band. While singer Peter te Bos is in his sixties, most of the fans are now in their forties and fifties. Where they had to find babysitters ten years ago, now some of them are bringing their kids to the show. And so a dad is carrying his daughter on his shoulders while he's carefully bobbing to the music. A CBC gig is the perfect place to take your children to anyway. It's a safe and pleasant place with only happy people and you'll know that they'll be hooked for life on CBC. The foursome start out on a quiet pace. Singer Peter Te Bos and guitarist John Cameron are the hardcore members of the band. Bass player Marcus Bruystens started playing when they reincarnated in 2007. Last year they completed their line-up again with drummer Jeroen Kleijn, who happens to be one of my favourite Dutch drummers.



It doesn't take long for the band to pick up the pass. Te Bos is moving around the stage in his familiar somewhat awkward locomotion, smiling for most of the gig. Cameron is looking like a wobble head at the front of the stage, with his body moving to the groove while his curly hair is jumping up and down. It can be tempting for a thirty year old band to mostly stick to their hits. But CBC doesn't and has mixed in many songs of their outstanding new album Hammer. Although maybe most people don't know these songs, it's hard to tell which are old and which are new songs. They're all equally well received and the growing pit that formed in front of the stage is dancing just as hard to all of them. Ageing forty year olds turn into teenage boys again, while they are pogoing like in their prime years.



A CBC technical rider will have a 25 meter microphone cable on it. Simply because Te Bos will always jump off the stage and start walking around the venue in the middle of a song. This time Bruystens is joining him and the crowd doesn't even mind carrying him for a bit. Te Bos begs Cameron to join in and eventually he is crowd surfing as well. Half way the show Kleijn is the only one still playing on stage. If he could have picked up his drum kit he would have jumped off stage with it as well I'm sure. Before it's over we get treated to two encores and after 'Superkid' and Iggy & The Stooges cover 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' the two hour show is over. Lights switch on again and the balding and grey haired crowd, who are also a bit more heavy around the waist, make their way out to relieve their baby sitters. But the twinkle in their eyes is still showing the young kid inside, that was allowed out for a while tonight.



More Pictures

Official Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Soundcloud | Spotify