Clashing at the Office

The Office’s undercover series attacked the Clash on the chilly last night of November. The hologram of Joe Strummer was unavailable this evening, so a variety of local singers took on the role of the Clash frontman.

It was a long night of Clash songs, being that the first set started at 9:30, and the final song of the second set (“Should I Stay or Should I Go”) didn’t go until around 12:30. All the songs in the first set were noticeably looser than what the band delivered after the break. It was as if the first set (which featured two deeper tracks “I’m Not Down” and “Gates of the West”) was a bit of a warm-up.

The second helping was when the night and band really took off. Like good Clash fans should, the crowd seemed equally enamored by both the punk-leaning and dance-heavy classics. “Lost In the Supermarket” (sung by Gary Hankins) and “Hateful” (belted-out by Chris Squire) both got great responses, but it was the final four-song tour de force of “Death or Glory,” “Guns of Brixton,” “I Fought the Law,” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go” (all delivered by Timothy Joseph) that set the already-active crowd into a full-on frenzy in front of the stage. After witnessing this large group of passionate fans and players singing their hearts out to these classic anthems the only real surprise is that San Diego lacks a Clash tribute band. Hopefully, some like-minded Clash city rockers put an end to this dilemma pronto.

• Concert: Clash Undercover
• Venue: The Office
• Date: November 30
• Seats: General