MR CLIT AND THE PINK CIGARETTES
Mr. Clit & the Pink Cigarettes are from Indiana. If that information was not readily available online one might be more inclined to believe that they hail from Mars or some other far flung planet in this or perhaps a neighboring universe. They describe their music as gross, circus or garage, but there’s also a healthy dose of punk in the best possible, devil may care/let’s do this, sense. Their look is somewhere between the Rezillos/Revillos and the B-52’s and quite so is there music. However, let’s not put too fine a point on things, because let’s be honest anything worth listening to paints with a wide brush. These secretly Martian miscreant’s (I’m not buying their Hoosier cover) music has blurred edges that bleed from one thing to the next; a pastiche of genres or bands that form like Voltron to become a new being, bigger than life. Mr. Clit & the Pink Cigarettes resemble that remark, switching between garage rock numbers to gleefully haphazard noise songs that make ears dance with memories of discovering Le Shok back in the early aughts. Basically, they’re really good and unpredictable.
The band has just returned from a tour of China, bringing Hoosier-space, circus, garage punk to those who need it most. They were joined on their journey through Shanghai and the surrounding provinces by Round Eye a band of American ex-pats, some of which are formerly members of Libyan Hit Squad, a band from our neck of the woods. But, this shouldn’t surprise anyone; Mr. Clit & the Pink Cigarettes aren’t strangers to South Florida. They have toured the state and have made numerous appearances in the tri-county area over the last few years. Perhaps it’s our penchant for transient weirdoes or maybe the scene’s lust for all things garage punk, or just our pseudo southern hospitality. Whatever the reason these kids have had no problem making themselves quite comfortable in our sweaty little part of the country. Let’s be clear here folks, if any artists is a little left (or, right, whatever) of the dial, they should feel right at home in Florida; this place is like a Tom Waits song gone horribly bad. Perhaps we should tell Mr. Clit & the Pink Cigarettes about Gibsonton; on second thought, don’t. They may never come back!
PureHoney and Fuzz Baby present Mr. Clit & the Pink Cigarettes at Respectable Street, Saturday, July 30th with Killmama, Problem Child, Milk Spot, the Grumps and Fuzzadelic; doors 8pm.
~Tim Moffatt
