Making Music, December 1998

The Clint Boon Experience: gig review

Clint comes back for Christmas 1998

After a few years writing music for TV shows and appearing in quiz shows, former Inspiral Carpets keyboards player Clint Boon has returned as a great showman and a party host with a taste for the absurd. Leading the band from behind a keyboard decorated with fairy lights and a kitsch reindeer head, Clint sings even the darkest lyrics cheerfully. The farfisa organ that became the Carpets' hallmark is used with restraint, supported by odd samples that are like comical asides and song-stealing trumpet melodies.

The Clint Boon Experience. More photos from this gig

Debut single 'Only One Way I Can Go' is a highlight, mixing the spirit of a football crowd with lovesong verses and a foghorn instrumental chorus. Like the Inspiral Carpets, the songs have epic choruses and are accessible at the first hearing without being obvious. Styles flick from indie to punk to disco with ease. This versatility could deny the band a large audience in any one niche, but makes it a fantastic party act.

As acts are polarised between sugary factory pop and grim indie rock, the Clint Boon Experience is one of the few balancing lighthearted entertainment with inventive musicianship.