Non Voglio Che Clara

As per the hopes expressed a while back by Fabio De Min in our interview, Non Voglio Che Clara finally have a fairly packed schedule of live dates; after all, their comeback was met with great enthusiasm, and there was widespread eagerness to catch them live. Of course, anticipation around an event only grows when word gets out that previous dates went well, and in Milan the crowd turned out in force, despite the competition from Hercules & Love Affair and Baby Dee, who were themselves playing live that night in two other clubs in the city.

Non Voglio Che Clara take the stage on this tour as a five-piece: the bassist and drummer stick to their core instruments throughout, while De Min and the other two musicians switch back and forth, some more than others, between guitar and keyboards. This variety has the effect of widening the range of sonic solutions the band can offer, as indeed happens on "Dei Cani". For this strength to translate into a strong live rendition of the songs, though, careful attention to volume balance is also needed, and unfortunately that's missing on the opening "Tra Il Tuo Carattere E Il Mio". The sound is in fact quite muddy, and the track never takes flight the way it does on record, staying somewhat stifled. Thankfully, it turns out to be the only technical hiccup of the night, because from the following "La Mareggiata Del 66" onward everything comes across clean and spacious, letting each song express its full emotional charge.

Whether dealing with songs rooted in the present, like "Gli Anni Dell'Università" or "Le Guerre", or ones drawn from the band's back catalogue, like "Porno" or "Le Paure", the audience is constantly moved on a deeply personal level by what unfolds onstage. This comes down both to the sound quality already mentioned, which carries just the right extra bit of muscle compared to the studio versions, and to De Min's vocal delivery, which doesn't chase technical heights but hits an intonation that fits the music perfectly. The best moments come with the gentler songs, above all an extraordinary "Sottile": one wonders how it would sound live if it were also sung here by Syria's remarkable voice. Even without her, though, it proves to be a particularly moving moment.

One of the most reliable ways to gauge the quality of a concert is the audience's reaction: here, everyone simply stays completely silent, as if in church. That's undoubtedly the most fitting way to take in a performance like this one, but we all know that, generally speaking, bad manners tend to prevail in Italy on such occasions; the fact that, for once, nobody dared so much as breathe a word during the songs should give a sense of just how engrossing and high-quality the performance was.

As for the setlist, most of the space went to the latest album and to the previous one, while from "Hotel Tivoli" only the aforementioned "Le Paure" was played, alongside the addition of "Tu La Ragazza L'Ami", a released track never actually included on any Non Voglio Che Clara record. As tradition dictates, the closer was "Cary Grant", perhaps the song that channels the most positive feelings in the band's entire catalogue - just as positive as the evening turned out to be for everyone who chose to come to La Casa for this intense, gorgeous show.

Photo by Lorenza De Mattia

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