Clef Tunes 4 @ Cloth & Clef

By Ben Liew  •  in Reports
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It may have been Friday night, but it could have been a Sunday morning when JUICE arrived at 11pm at Cloth & Clef’s Clef Tunes 4. Only a handful of people were there, and despite the 9pm start published on the flyer the gig had been pushed back and we arrived just as it started. We stuck around anyway and had a blast.

As an independent music and arts venue, Cloth & Clef has earned a rep for taking risks, booking eclectic risqué indie acts sometimes with promotion via social media only. But we’re guessing the poor attendance tonight was down to something else: like their 1st year anniversary bash the night before – regulars were probably still recovering from the decadence. Also, with the massive commercial-music free-flow Hennessy Artistry scheduled the next day at Bukit Kiara, it’s not wrong to presume that most party addicts were saving their mojo for that.

But the turnout was by no means was a reflection of the quality of entertainment at Cloth & Clef. Clef Tunes 4 boasted 3 hot shot acts from Indonesia: United By Haircuts, Electronic Groove and Electrofux.

With their punk disco fury, United By Haircuts stood out from their electronic brethren. Sounding very much like The Hives, the band from Jakarta have been making waves in their homeland, and with bassist Fendi the vocalist of crazy Indo electro band Agrikulture, they’re not unfamiliar to Malaysian fans of the sound either.

The atmosphere started to look up when the electro groups took over and the small dancefloor filled with people who couldn’t give a damn. JUICE even managed to catch up with Carburetor Dung’s Joe Kidd and over a drink he shared his woes moving his shop, Ricecooker out of the Annexe. But that’s a story for another day.

Despite the turn out Clef Tunes 4 certainly shows promise. After all, Twilight Action Girl started life at the tiny out of the way Bar Amber before it settled in Barsonic with its monster Friday night following. Clef Tunes might go the same way yet. Just remember, guys and girls, it’s not size that matters, it’s how you groove it.

Clef Tunes 4 went down at Cloth & Clef on 24 July 2009. If you didn’t make it, check out what you missed in our gallery.