The Clean are without a doubt one of the keystones of the sound that we have come to know as indie rock, and their early releases on the Flying Nun label helped craft a blueprint for the passionate independent labels that are the backbone of what Other Music is about. When the group started making music in near-isolation in New Zealand in the late ’70s, they might have thought that they were a punk band, but their music is totally without the sharp anger that defines that genre. Instead, it is so full of joy and longing and reckless abandon that even close to 30 years after the fact, hearing their songs makes my heart jump like a teenage crush. Robert Scott and the Kilgour Brothers have all continued to make amazing music throughout the years, both together as the Clean, and separately — Robert leading the Bats, another seminal N.Z. pop band; David in several incarnations including a stellar solo career; and Hamish with Bailter Space, the Mad Scene and many others. But together as the Clean they are legendary, and we were thrilled to get this rare stripped-down, shambling performance on film, capturing the band as they prepared for a run of sold-out shows at NYC’s Cake Shop, in their first live appearance in years, playing for a crowd of longtime fans and close friends. Enjoy!

-Josh Madell

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