One of the most distinctive and mysterious indie acts of the 21st century, … Read Full Bio ↴One of the most distinctive and mysterious indie acts of the 21st century, Liverpool's art-punk quartet Clinic combine decades' worth of familiar sounds in surprising ways. At any given moment, it's possible to hear shades of the Seeds' churning garage rock, the Velvet Underground's chugging cool, Suicide's icy pulse, Ennio Morricone's spaghetti Western drama, or Augustus Pablo's moody dub within their music. Coupled with Ade Blackburn's acidic vocals and their fondness for wearing surgical masks in concert, Clinic created an unmistakable image and sound that nevertheless shifted subtly on each album. On 2000's Internal Wrangler, they led with the raw strangeness of their music, then emphasized its sophistication on 2002's chilly Walking with Thee. Later, when the band explored folk (on 2006's Visitations), '60s pop (on 2010's Bubblegum), and experimental electronics (on 2012's Free Reign), the results were equally unexpected and effortless. Despite their accomplishments over the years -- touring with Radiohead, a Grammy nomination -- and the timely political commentary of 2019's Wheeltappers and Shunters, Clinic remained firmly, and proudly, outside of the mainstream.

Clinic formed in 1997, when longtime friends Ade Blackburn (vocals/guitars/keyboards) and Jonathan Hartley (guitars/keyboards) left their previous band, Pure Morning. To complete their new project's lineup, they recruited Brian Campbell (bass/flute/vocals) and Carl Turney (drums/piano/vocals). The band embellished on their punk and garage rock roots with keyboards they found at flea markets and jumble sales, as heard on their debut EP, I.P.C. Subeditors Dictate Our Youth. Released on their own Aladdin's Cave of Golf label, it reached number nine in John Peel's Festive 50 singles roundup of 1997. The following year, Clinic issued the equally well-received singles "Cement Mixer" and "Monkey on My Back." A bidding war followed, and the band signed with Domino Records in 1999 because of the label's diverse roster and independent spirit. Clinic's first release for Domino was that year's The Second Line, an EP whose title track was famously used in ads for Levi's Jeans in the U.K. The song also appeared on Clinic's acclaimed 2000 debut album, Internal Wrangler, which was over a year in the making and, like their previous releases, self-financed. In support of the album, they appeared at Scott Walker's Meltdown and All Tomorrow's Parties festivals and toured with Radiohead.

In 2001, Clinic returned to the studio and recorded their second album in less than a month. Appearing in March 2002, Walking with Thee provided a more spacious, atmospheric take on the group's sound and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. Following Walking with Thee's success, Clinic took a different approach while making their next album. The band opted for a rougher, nearly demo-quality sound on Winchester Cathedral, which arrived in August 2004. For their fifth full-length, Clinic reunited with Gareth Jones, who mixed Internal Wrangler and helped them give 2006's Visitations a rawness that harked back to the band's early days. In June 2007, the band issued the B-sides collection Funf. Clinic then revisited their psych and garage rock leanings on Do It!, a self-produced set of songs that Domino released in April 2008.

Clinic changed gears once more on October 2010's Bubblegum, recruiting producer John Congleton for its gentler, chamber pop-inspired sound. The following April, the band delivered the covers EP Ladies Night, which featured a version of Man 2 Man's "Male Stripper," as a release for that year's Record Store Day. On their next album, Clinic made one of the biggest shifts to their distinctive style. Self-produced and featuring mixes by Oneohtrix Point Never's Daniel Lopatin, November 2012's Free Reign combined experimental electronics influenced by Kraftwerk and Yellow Magic Orchestra with psychedelia and free jazz. The band's chemistry with Lopatin was so potent that the producer remixed the album as March 2013's Free Reign II.

Following Free Reign's release, Clinic went on hiatus. During the band's time off, Blackburn and Hartley formed Higher Authorities, a side project that let them indulge their love of dub more deeply than they could with Clinic. Featuring collaborations with legendary dub producer Adrian Sherwood, the duo's debut album, Neptune, arrived in April 2016. That May, Clinic resurfaced to perform with John Cale at his Liverpool performance of the Velvet Underground's classic album The Velvet Underground & Nico. In May 2019, the band returned with their eighth album, Wheeltappers and Shunters. Taking its name from a British variety TV show from the '70s, the album combined some of Clinic's most straightforward songwriting with a satirical take on politics and nostalgia.

Biography by Heather Phares

There are other artists with the same name:

2. A hardcore punk band that plays music similar to such bands as have heart, champion, kids like us, comeback kid, modern life is war, bane, and verse. They hail from North Central, New Jersey.

3. An Australian rapper from Brisbane. Not much is known about him.

4. Clinic were Alan Reeves, Phil Trainer and Philip Brigham they released one album in 1973 called 'Now We Are Even' and contributed to the soundtrack of the 1970 film 'La Route De Salina'. Their song 'The Chase' is featured on the Kill Bill Vol. 2 Original Soundtrack.

5. fresno california punk band. mental tunes for your mental health 💊
https://clinic.bandcamp.com/

C.Q.
Clinic Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

C.Q. in unison
C.Q. in unison

I hate the G.L.U.
I hate the Y.M.O.

C.Q. made Europe sick
C.Q. made Europe sick

We want no, no more fascist chic
No, no, no more fascist chic
C.Q. was never one to spit

Do, do, do for the reindeers
Do, do, do, do to please
Do, do, do for me

C.Q. was always bold
C.Q. was always told

Baby, they let you go
Baby, they kill the old
Baby, your supper's cold
C.Q. was never one to
C.Q. was never wanting scold

C.Q. in unison

C.Q. in unison
C.Q. in unison

Overall Meaning

The song "C.Q." by Clinic is a cryptic one that seems to be a commentary on fascism and the effects of ideologies like it on society. The repetition of the lines "C.Q. in unison" at the beginning and end of the song may represent the uniformity and conformity that fascism requires of its followers. The statement "I hate the G.L.U., I hate the Y.M.O." is also interesting as it could refer to specific organizations or groups, or it could be a broader statement about a rejection of any type of authoritarianism or oppression.

The line "C.Q. made Europe sick" could be a reference to a particular historical event, as well as an acknowledgment of the harm that fascist ideologies have caused in Europe and beyond. The next lines "We want no, no more fascist chic, No, no, no more fascist chic" seem to be a call to end the glorification of fascist imagery and ideals. It's unclear what the phrase "reindeers" refers to, but it could be a metaphor for following blindly and doing things without question.

The strange mixture of past and present tense in the lyrics, as well as the use of names and images that are not explained, add to the enigmatic quality of the song. Overall, "C.Q." is a song that challenges the listener to decipher its meaning and encourages them to reject any forms of oppression and resistance conformity.

Line by Line Meaning

C.Q. in unison
Chorus repeated twice

I hate the G.L.U.
Expressing disdain for an organization, the G.L.U.

I hate the Y.M.O.
Expressing disdain for another organization, the Y.M.O.

C.Q. made Europe sick
Implying that C.Q. caused Europe trouble or distress

We want no, no more fascist chic
Expressing opposition to fascist/authoritarian styles

No, no, no more fascist chic
Repeating the previous statement

C.Q. was never one to spit
Implying that C.Q. was never one to express anger or resentment

Do, do, do for the reindeers
Encouraging others to do things for the benefit of others (here, reindeer)

Do, do, do, do to please
Encouraging others to do things to make others happy

Do, do, do for me
Asking others to do things for the sake of the artist

C.Q. was always bold
Implying that C.Q. was always courageous or daring