Clay Lake, In Memoriam

Words: Ollie Hopewell

As 2025 came to an end, so did the collaboration of Tom Flemming, Elliot Sheerin, and Alex Bettany, better known to us as Clay Lake. Their final performance was a bittersweet one, with a packed-out crowd giving everything they had to match the energy, spirit, and joy that the trio had given to them in their just shy of ten years playing and performing together. Over this time there has been losses and gains, uncertainty and ease, joy and sadness, and musically speaking, there has perhaps never been a greater embodiment of these feelings of uncertainty and the peculiar love of the unknown than in Stoke-on-Trent’s very own Clay Lake.

Not so much born in early 2016 as stitched together from the fallout of previous musical

endeavours, Clay Lake quickly rose from a fledgeling emo-esque punk band to become a

genre defining stalwart of the alternative, emo, and hardcore scenes of both Stoke-on-Trent

and the greater Midlands area. This would be a facet the trio ultimately played on, utilising

the name of their birthplace to flip the tropes of mid-west emo to create their very own 'west-

mids emo' sound, a sound that they later came to lead, define, and ultimately master.

Their journey was never as smooth as the band had hoped, however; just as the trio began

to hit full stride their progress stuttered as the COVID pandemic took over, but nothing

could’ve stopped the creativity from flowing between the three. From the ashes rose a band

that was more reflective, introspective, and polished than anyone could’ve expected, playing a stripped-back gig at The Sugarmill to mark their return in front of a crowd that was

physically distanced, but had spiritually become completely intertwined with Clay Lake’s

music. The crowd always came first with Clay Lake, and this was made apparent on each

live performance, social media post, or casual encounter with any one of Flemming, Sheerin, and Bettany, all of whom would wax lyrical about their love of making music for the people who needed to hear it.

So, as we lay the founders of west-mids emo to rest in early December, the band chose to

deliver their own send off in front a packed-out crowd in the exact way that they wanted, with pop-culture sampled throughout the set, plenty of movement, emotions running high, plenty of eulogising, and a fantastic turn out.

And what a sendoff it was.

On the night of Friday 5 th December we laid the group to rest, with founding members Tom

Flemming, Elliot Sheerin, and Alex Bettany - on drums, bass, and guitar respectively –

sharing the responsibility of vocals as they always had, and lead the proceedings with the

eulogy from A Song for Matthew, perhaps the most intimate and profound piece the group

ever created and certainly a poignant way to begin by acknowledging that the end that was

imminent.

Leaping from this sombre moment with a cry of “we’re Clay Lake,” the trio crash into Three-

Storey Terrace, a track perfectly calibrated to get the entire room swaying together, sound in

the knowledge that they too are, and always will be, a part of a band that has shaped far

more than its three members. The angst-laden Laeter D followed before the playful twiddling guitars of Dowsingesque gave us the first true foray into the west-mids emo sound that the band had come to triumph.

Stitches and (As Far as My Feelings Go) I’d Rather Be Sad Than a Father of Four were the

joyous contrast of often harsh and scratchy vocals against the softer and more cutting lyrics

that had kept Clay Lake fresh for so long, be it Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter. The

opening of Tommy Knoxville bled gorgeously into Do I Know What Rhetorical Means? before

the seismic rhythms of Miss Mullins, You’re the Man! got everyone feeling like the cat’s

pyjamas, the bee’s knees.

Personal favourites Gone Fishin’ and Friends (The One With Two Parts) rounded out the set

before the trio ended in the way we all knew they would, playing fan-favourite cover of

Rusted Root’s Send Me On My Way in their own style before inviting virtually the entire

crowd on stage to join them in the best rendition of Eyesore I have ever had the pleasure of

witnessing.

Perhaps away from the anguish and teenage angst that made them so raw, Clay Lake

developed into something that was so much more than the sum of its parts; a project to

create dialogue, show vulnerability, and act as a vessel for similarly minded people. Now the three leave the project having grown together and worked through more than they could’ve imagined at the time of their humble beginnings, cultivating a lasting and loving community all the while.

Ultimately, we lose Clay Lake just before what would have been their 10-year anniversary,

but as we console our own loss, we must look at what we have gained from the Flemming,

Sheerin, and Bettany, as they leave behind a legacy that has redefined a music genre,

shaped their own lives and friendships, and will live forever.

Personally, I was a late adopter of Clay Lake, and while I missed out on their early days and

intimate shows that have entered local music folklore, I was around to hear them perfect

their craft and produce their finest works. So please join me in raising your Diet Dr. Kelps

high in the air as we toast a farewell to Clay Lake. We will miss you now you’re gone.