Alcatraz Line up: 2024

Formed in 1991, Clutch quickly caught the attention of the major record labels but it wasn’t until the turn of the millennium and a change in musical direction from hardcore to stoner rock that their career gathered momentum. Clutch generously delves into a range of music genres ranging from blues, incendiary rock ‘n’ roll and stoner rock to post-hardcore, metal and grunge, and they do so with consummate ease. Be sure to check out their live album ‘Full Fathom Five’ (2008) if you want to know what these guys can do in a live setting. The lyrics on ‘Book of Bad Decisions’ (2018) tell the story of the band’s 27-year history with a tongue-in-cheek quality that is typical of the Germantown, Maryland natives. They stubbornly steer their own course, regardless of trends and hypes. In 2022 they released their 13th album with ‘Sunrise on Slaughter Beach’: it was originally intended as a counterweight against the rampant negativity and divisiveness caused by the Covid pandemic but eventually the lyrical content took a broader scope. Signed to their own record label since 2008, they continue to prove it is possible to thrive outside the major record labels.