On their current tour, Netherlands band Clan of Xymox have staged a triumphant return to the U.S., playing to sold out crowds at nearly every show. Their recent stop in Baltimore, Maryland was no exception. 

The evening started with Washington, DC band Vosh. Promoting their just released album Vessel, the band hit the stage on a mission. Led by charismatic frontwoman Josephine Olivia, the band tore through a blistering 30 minute set. At the beginning of their set, Josephine crawled on stage on all fours in a cloud of stage smoke. At various points in the evening, she dropped to her knees and wailed, fueling her vocal performance with emotion. She did not confine herself to the stage, on several occasions dropping into the pit in front, and pacing the length of the stage, while interacting with fans. The band sounded amazing, converting the uninitiated, as many made their way to the merch stand to purchase the new album on vinyl and cd, myself included. 

After a brief stage changeover, Chicago’s own The Bellwether Syndicate took the stage and mesmerized the crowd. Led by vocalists/guitarists William Faith and Sarah Rose, the band were on fire from the start. Playing songs from their EP The Night Watch, the band were incredibly tight. They closed with the  David Bowie classic “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)”. Faith then said, “We’ll be at the merch stand, but I’ll be shocked if any of you come.” He needn’t have worried, as there was a line of fans for the rest of the night.

After a brief intermission, the main event was up – Clan of Xymox! The band is back on U.S. soil after having their prior tour interrupted in March of 2020 by, well, you know. 

Supporting their latest release, Limbo, the band made up for lost time. Singer/guitarist/mainman Ronnie Moorings and band treated fans to songs from the aforementioned “Limbo” and 2020 release “Spider on the Wall”, as well as classic favorites. Moorings conducted what he called the “Baltimore experiment”, designed to guage the audience excitement for experiencing live music after the two and a half year mandatory break. 

After not one, but two encores, the band finished their set with the timely and appropriate “Lockdown” from the new album. 

After a few moments to catch their breath, the band came out to the merch table to sign autographs and pose for pics with the fans who waited. 

Simply put, an amazing night of live music by three incredible bands. If this tour comes near you, GO! I drove 6+ hours, and it was worth every second. 

Clan of Xymox setlist:

Stranger

Your Kiss

Jasmine and Rose

Louise

Emily

All I Ever Know

Lovers

Spider on the Wall

Loneliness

She 

A Day

(encore)

Obsession

Muscoviet Musquito

Backdoor

(encore 2)

Hail Mary

In Love We Trust

Lockdown

Review and Cellphone Pix by I’m Music Magazine Contributing Writer Jeff Koger