Carbon/Silicon @ The El Rey, 3/19/08

The band is pure fun rock and roll. Hook-laden and groovy, but miles away from the funk-dance pop of B.A.D. that I was so scared of. From the moment the drums kicked in on the opening song, “The Magic Suitcase”, I felt a huge sense of relief. In fact, it wasn’t relief, it was pleasure.

Running through a set comprised largely of songs from their debut CD “The Last Post”, the band was loose and fun and truly seemed to be having the time of their lives. Dominic Greensmith’s refined drumming and Leo “Eezykill” William’s simple, heavy bass anchored the rock with a dub sensibility that tastefully complemented James and Jones melodic guitar heroics.

Tony James is a perfect foil for Mick Jones; grinning ear to ear the entire evening as if he can’t believe how lucky he is to be doing what he’s doing.

Center stage, band leader Jones conducts the dynamics masterfully; leading the band as they navigate through imaginative new arrangements that were also a benchmark of the Clash live shows. Whether cranking it up for an extended guitar solo, or stripping it down to its bare bone essentials for a roots reprise, each song is given its own unique treatment, and rarely fails to miss its mark.

Returning for the encore, Jones responds to the cries for former Clash hits by saying “We don’t do oldies”, then adding, “maybe in a few months”. The band then launches into “Bankrobber” which Mick insists doesn’t count as a Clash song because it was a cover. He dedicates the song to the recently deceased Mikey Dread who produced the Clash version. To the crowd, this is as close as they’re going to get to hearing a Clash song, and they’re thrilled. The song turns into a huge singalong, and for me it’s bittersweet.

Jones is forever destined to be the McCartney to Joe Strummer’s Lennon, and one has to wonder how some of the Carbon/Silicon material might have sounded with Strummer’s Tourrettes rasp.

Opening act Matt Pond PA failed to connect with the audience during a short set of mostly-inoffensive, but slight indie pop that seems destined for Volkswagen commercials. Perhaps feeding of the (lack of) energy coming from the crowd, the band seemed detached, and, at the end of their set, relieved that it was over. The bands dearth of chemistry only served to show just how great Carbon/Silicon were in comparison.

Early in the evening. Mick Jones commented that it had been 15 years since he last did a proper tour of the US. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait that long to see him again.

photo by Heath Biter for LAist