George Clanton Dominates Electronic Music Scene In Philly Basement

George Clanton taking a break from the keyboard with his guitar.

By Athena Myers

George Clanton, opened by Magdalena Bay and Vitesse X, deliver amazing performances at Philadelphia’s First Unitarian Church.

Last Thursday, I ventured eight hours away to see electronic artist George Clanton perform in the basement of a late 19th century church in Philadelphia, PA. 

George Clanton’s been establishing himself in the electronic and vaporwave music scene for a number of years, formerly going by monikers such as Mirror Kisses and ESPRIT 空想 before stripping himself of a stage name. He’s collaborated with other well-known alternative artists such as Caroline Polachek, The Garden, and 311. He released his most recent solo album in 2018, titled Slide.

After sitting on the front steps of the First Unitarian Church that sometimes doubles as a music venue for about 20 minutes, entry was allowed into the space. We were led down a dimly-lit set of stairs and through a doorway with a piece of paper on the wall that read “BYOB”. Amen. 

The show was opened by newcomer solo DJ and musician Vitesse X, recently signed to Clanton’s independent record label 100% Electronica. Though much of the audience wasn’t familiar with her music, her rave-like vibe and euphoric voice somewhat reminiscent of Grimes captivated the crowd. 

Next up was Magdalena Bay, a synth-pop duo with hyper-pop undertones from Los Angeles, California. The group had a great energy, primarily performing songs from their recently released debut album Mercurial World in matching bodysuits and the occasional cat mask.

By the time George Clanton took the stage, the crowd couldn’t have been more ready. He’s known for his bizarre and unpredictable stage presence, and we had no idea what he had in store for us that night. As he walked in, the instrumental to fan-favorite “Livin’ Loose” played. He proceeded to pick up the Bible that was on the floor, flip to a random page and read a scripture as he dramatically fell to his knees, followed by cheers and screams from the audience. This happened multiple times throughout the night. 

As his set continued, he played some of my personal favorites, such as “It Makes the Babies Want to Cry”, “Kill You in Bed”, and “Dumb”. There was a real sense of community at the concert, everyone knew the words and Clanton continuously interacted with the audience. This was also the first concert I’d been to where I had the opportunity to be front row, which was incredible. I got hit in the head by crowd surfers and the gigantic inflatable alien that was being thrown around a few times, but aside from that it was an amazing experience. 

Toward the end of the show, Clanton played his newest single, “Fucking Up My Life”, bringing out his fiancee and fellow musician, Negative Gemini, to perform it with him. 

“If you were waiting to cry, this is the time”, he said as he started to sing “You Lost Me There”, a sad and regretful song about lost love. This was intended to be the concluding song, but the crowd demanded more chanting “One more song!” as he began to walk off stage. He eventually fulfilled our request, coming back for a final song. Someone from the audience hopped onto stage and began to dance with him. Other members of the audience including myself began to follow one by one. Soon, nearly the entire crowd had relocated around George Clanton, thrashing around as he sang and stage lights flashed behind us.

Last weekend’s George Clanton concert was hands-down one of the best live music experiences I’ve ever had. I recommend that any fans of electronic music see him in concert at least once, you won’t regret it!