Clan of Xymox @ Metro Music Hall 08.18.2025

Clan of Xymox at Metro Music Hall on August 18, 2025. Photo: Diego Andino.

Concert

In 1989, I discovered the alternative radio station KJQ. I was 13 years old. Previously, I enjoyed the occasional mainstream title because I wanted something more adventurous. My music appetite became ravenous. I devoured anything and everything that existed left of center.

1989 was a landmark year that featured The Cure’s Disintegration, Depeche Mode’s 101, Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine, Love and Rockets’ self-titled album, Peter Murphy’s Deep, New Order’s Technique and Xymox’s Twist of Shadows.

These were the albums that became the bedrock that my lifelong sonic journey was built on. I moved quickly into each band’s back catalogue. Xymox’s debut album, when they were known as Clan of Xymox, was a revelation of chaotic layering. It rattled and howled like nothing else before or since. Medusa, their second release, was more polished, equally dense and achingly beautiful.

For me, the Clan of Xymox, Medusa and Twist of Shadows trilogy is on par with David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy. That might sound sacrilege, but you’ll never convince me otherwise. But that was 36 years ago. I stuck with Xymox for Phoenix, Metamorphosis and Headclouds. I was there in the front row when guitarist/vocalist Ronny Moorings, the sole remaining original member, decided to revert to the Clan of Xymox moniker in 1997. 13 albums later, we find ourselves in the sweltering heat of Salt Lake City on August 18, 2025.

The night begins with SINE, a project from recent Metropolis Records signee Rona Rougeheart. Her sound is beats, atmosphere and a disembodied, trance-like vocal. Between songs, Rougeheart is chatty and casual. It plays against the colder, crueler aspects of her songs.

Next up is Curse Mackey, an industrial artist who melds modern dancefloor sensibilities with Skinny Puppy and ‘90s EDM influences. The makeup, the videos (none of which are AI created), the music, the stage presence and audience interactions make for an impressive multimedia experience.

With the opening acts’ equipment cleared, Clan of Xymox take the stage to the sounds of “Stranger” from their debut album. Those expecting a purely nostalgic night will have to wait until the set’s closer, “A Day,” for any material predating 1999. It’s a bold, confident and perhaps fatal move from Moorings who now has four decades of material to choose from.

“Stranger” is followed by “Love Got Lost,” a deep cut from 2009’s In Love We Trust. The song is dedicated to those who didn’t attend the band’s last concert in Salt Lake City in 2023. Moorings, who introduces each song, quickly notices the subdued nature of tonight’s crowd. It’s not a disrespectful audience, though between songs there is no talking. It’s a strange dynamic, but there’s a sense of reverence. Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s just a Monday night after an eventful weekend. Maybe they’re just waiting for songs they know and love.

As a result, Moorings talks more with the audience. He introduces “There’s No Tomorrow” from 2003’s Farewell as a bit of “bad news.” He dedicates “X-Odus,” from the new album Exodus, to those who are searching for a better life. For “Jasmine and Rose,” a crowd favorite from 1999’s Creatures, he suggests that there is a particular smell in the summer air. I can’t imagine that I’m the only person who initially thought he meant the sweat that comes from summer concerts.

Moorings scolds himself for drinking water, rather than wine, and remedies the situation before launching into Exodus single “Blood of Christ.” Moorings returns to the album In Love We Trust for its lead single “Emily” before suggesting that the next song, Blood of Christ B-side “You’re the One,” could be about everyone in the audience.

Having spent the day driving through Colorado and the open spaces of Utah, Moorings reflects on the beauty and a sense of separation from the bustling cities of the world. This leads into “Loneliness” from 2017’s Days of Black. As someone who prefers the noise of a city to the tranquility of nature, I connect with what Moorings is suggesting.

“Suffer,” the B-side to X-Odus is dedicated to the masochists in the audience. Mooring’s unofficial poll reveals that applies to only two in the crowd. I suspect the real total is much higher. “She,” from 2020’s Spider on the Wall, is described as a song for a woman who didn’t want to be named as the inspiration. Apparently, Michelle, Louise, Emily and Evelyn, all subjects of Clan of Xymox songs, were not nearly as shy.

The set closes here with “A Day.” The crowd responds with all their energy as the band leaves the stage, then returns with a somewhat unusual selection of songs: “All I Ever Know” from Spider on the Wall and “Your Kiss” from Days of Black before finishing with the Medusa classic “Louise.” Part of me applauds the decision to include lesser-known album tracks for those of us in the crowd who have followed the narrative from start to finish. I love that the main set included B-sides and dipped into the band’s last 25 years.

Another part of me is disappointed knowing that previous shows on this tour had included additional encores featuring a combination of classics “Muscoviet Mosquito,” “Michelle,” “Backdoor” and “Obsession,” as well as equally strong newer material “This World” and “Farewell.” A combination of any of the unplayed songs with “Louise” would have propelled the audience to give the band a louder sendoff that might have earned a second encore. It would have also given those in the crowd who are only familiar with the songs from the ‘80s a reason to justify staying for the entire show. It might even compel them to seek out the newer material. And they should seek out the newer material.

Clan of Xymox’s 2023 performance, which was still dominated by newer material, did a far better job of honoring the past while celebrating the new. The insertion of “Louise” into the main set helped. The two encores of classic material were then able to propel the band on into a third encore that was entirely newer material. It was one of the best shows of 2023. I can’t say the same for 2025. It’s amazing how the exclusion of two or three songs can have such a dramatic impact on an evening.

Until next time, Clan of Xymox.