The Cliks

by David JeffriesGutsy, melodic, dramatic, and dark, Toronto's the Cliks arrived on the scene in 2007 with two strong bullet points. First, they covered Justin Timberlake's hit "Cry Me a River" in a White Stripes meets the Pretenders style, and second, leader Lucas Silveira was a transgendered FTM (female-to-male) leading an all-female, androgynous band. Initial word of mouth started in 2006 and had little to do with Silveira's gender-bending. Instead, it was their blistering live shows around Toronto that earned attention and had the Canadian press comparing the band to Joan Jett, Jon Spencer, and Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie. Jake Gold -- one of Canada's most successful artist managers and a panelist on the talent search Canadian Idol -- began working with the band and after some changes, bassist Jordan B. Wright and drummer Morgan Doctor finalized the lineup. The trio was soon signed to Tommy Boy and recording of the band's debut was underway. In early 2007, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender press began to show their support with the Advocate magazine and the Logo television network both featuring the band. By the time their album Snakehouse arrived in April, the Cliks were touring across America and earning an audience well past the LGBT community.