Dry Cleaning: back fresh as Brighton’s hot ticket

DRY CLEANING + DEHD + THUS LOVE – CHALK, BRIGHTON 1.3.23

South London’s Dry Cleaning stand out from the current wave of bands broadly described as ‘post-punk’, mainly through Florence Shaw’s strikingly distinctive vocals. Her lyrics, a poetic collage of overheard snippets of conversation and found texts, are delivered spoken in an impassively deadpan style that contrasts sharply with a busily expansive and occasionally manic musical backdrop. Following on from a single and two well-received EPs, debut album ‘New Long Leg’ peaked at number four in the UK charts and was the best-selling independent album of 2021. The eagerly anticipated follow-up ‘Stumpwork’ was released in October 2022, and the band has been touring extensively to promote it, with dates in Europe, Japan, Australasia, and North America.

Brighton is the twelfth stop on the UK and Ireland leg, and comes almost exactly a year since the band last played in the city. Needless to say, tonight’s show at Chalk is long since sold out.

First on we have Thus Love, a three-piece from Brattleboro, a small town in Vermont, USA. They describe their music as “queer post punk”, and all three members identify as trans. The room is starting to fill up as they take the stage. It’s a vibey start, with a rising howl of effects heralding opener ‘Repetitioner’. The long intro of chorus-drenched guitar sounds like something that John Squire from The Stone Roses might come up with. That impression is bolstered as the bass and drums come in, accenting a lovely push in the shimmering guitar jangle. House left, slinging a black Jazzmaster, is guitarist and vocalist Echo Mars, whose lower-register voice has a beautifully warm and rich tone. A heavier middle section is driven by growling bass from Nathaniel, house right on a Precision, and big tom hits from Lu, centre stage behind a red kit. The guitar reverts to a juddering phasey howl. I’m really enjoying this already. The music sounds exciting and new, whilst drawing on a comfortingly familiar set of 1980s influences.

After another splendidly atmospheric intro, things lively up a bit with ‘Anathema’, which is propelled along by thumping floor tom. Echo has become decidedly more animated, pulling some cool shapes during a tasty lead break. ‘Family Man’ is delivered with an impassioned snarl, its urgency accentuated with pushes and stabs from the super-tight rhythm section. The guitar sounds magnificent, with swirling sustain, and its player is bursting with energy and ready for mischief, nonchalantly strolling behind the rows of backline amps to admire the headliner’s guitar arsenal. Recent single ‘Put On Dog’ is livelier still, and Echo’s poses ever more extravagant, with a particularly stylish one-legged flourish worthy of contemporary dance. The band are introduced through the mic on the guitar amp, doubtless to the chagrin of the sound techs.

‘On The Floor’ is a new number, not yet recorded, and it’s got a classically moody post-punk feel that reminds me of Joy Division. ‘Pith And Point’ is notable for a striking rhythm guitar motif, and to conclude we have recent single ‘Centrefield’. It’s a microcosm of the whole set, with a heavy brooding start steadily building towards a dramatic climax, at the end of which Echo is playing standing on the kick drum. It’s been an impressive performance, and I think I might have found a new favourite band, for this week anyway. If you’re into the likes of The Psychedelic Furs or Echo and the Bunnymen, you’ll feel right at home with Thus Love. I make a mental note to acquire a vinyl copy of their ‘Memorial’ album on the way out.

Thus Love:
Echo Mars – guitar, vocals
Nathaniel van Osdol – bass
Lu Racine – drums

Thus Love setlist:
‘Repetitioner’ (from ‘Memorial’ 2022)
‘Anathema’ (from ‘Memorial’ 2022)
‘Family Man’ (from ‘Memorial’ 2022)
‘Put On Dog’ (single, 2023)
‘On The Floor’ (unreleased)
‘Pith And Point’ (from ‘Memorial’ 2022)
‘Centrefield’ (single, 2023)

linktr.ee/Thuslovemusic

Next on tonight are Dehd, another American three-piece with a classic indie guitar sound. Formed in 2015, they have completed four albums, the most recent being ‘Blue Skies’, released in 2022 on Fat Possum Records. Emily is on bass and handles most of the lead vocals, the remainder being shared with guitarist Jason, who is jangling a green Kramer Baretta with a pointy headstock. Drummer Eric plays standing, the minimalist kit comprising a snare, floor tom and a Roland trigger pad.

Opening with previous single ‘Bad Love’, their sound is sparse but intriguing. Emily uses her voice like an extra instrument, adopting a wavering drawl that oscillates over the reverb-drenched guitar lines. The bass, a white Mustang, has a lovely twang but is intermittently cutting out, which is slightly annoying. Some unplugging and reconnecting pedals seems to sort the problem for ‘Nobody’, which skips along nicely on a bouncing riff. Jason drops out to rattle some tambourine, and the impassive Eric is getting some thunderous sub-bass hits from the trigger pad.

“It’s quite cold… but it’s good for you,” shouts someone from the crowd, when asked by the band what Brighton’s like. Come on, these people are from Chicago. The Sussex coast must seem balmy by comparison. Indeed, Emily looks dressed for summer, in white socks and flip-flops. ‘Stars’ stands out with an effective dual vocal and a half-speed playout, and Jason gets to indulge his frustrated inner percussionist, doubling up on floor tom for ‘Clear’. There’s a particularly catchy riff for ‘Disappear’, and I like the bass twang on the upbeat ‘No Difference’. Final number ‘Flying’ opens with sparkling guitar arpeggios and builds steadily to conclude another impressive and enjoyable set.

Dehd:
Emily Kempf – bass, vocals
Jason Balla – guitar, vocals
Eric McGrady – drums

Dehd setlist:
‘Bad Love’ (from ‘Blue Skies’ 2022)
‘Nobody’ (from ‘Flower Of Devotion’ 2020)
‘Loner’ (from ‘Flower Of Devotion’ 2020)
‘Stars’ (from ‘Blue Skies’ 2022)
‘Clear’ (from ‘Blue Skies’ 2022)
‘Disappear’ (from ‘Flower Of Devotion’ 2020)
‘Lucky’ (from ‘Water’ 2019)
‘Flood’ (from ‘Flower Of Devotion’ 2020)
‘No Difference’ (from ‘Blue Skies’ 2022)
‘Eggshells’ (single, 2022)
‘Flying’ (from ‘Flower Of Devotion’ 2020)

www.dehd.horse

After a flurry of technical activity, the stage is set for the main event. Dry Cleaning come on to a massive cheer and launch into ‘Kwenchy Kups’ from the recent album. Tom is house left, rocking a cool look of bleached hair and white trousers, starting the set on a black and white Rickenbacker guitar. House right is Lewis, whose flowing locks flop down over his face. He plays a seriously road-worn Precision bass, and is getting an awesome sound from a massive Ampeg stack. An 8 x 10 cabinet on its side supports a further 4 x 10, plus two amplifier heads. The output is a growling rumble of low-end sonic delight. Amusingly, all the backline speaker cabinets are decorated with face motifs in fluorescent tape, suggesting a range of moods, emoticon style. Drummer Nick’s hair has grown a bit over the last year, and he seems as quick and nimble as ever, launching brisk fills around his sparkly Ludwig kit. Centre stage, Florence is a mesmeric presence with the longest hair of all. Her stage act comprises standing still, usually with a quizzical or perplexed expression, whilst reeling off an endless stream of deadpan lyric poetry of breathtakingly random beauty.

I notice the sound tonight is bolstered by some additional keyboards. Tom’s guitar tech is playing a Prophet-6, stashed behind the backline amps. He looks familiar, and that’s because he is Daniel Rumsey, the bassist of Brighton-based underground legends The Wytches.

Next up is ‘Gary Ashby’, a charmingly quirky and upbeat tune to accompany the rather sad tale of a lost family tortoise, followed by the earlier number ‘Viking Hair’. Tom switches to his more familiar SG, and is starting to really dig into it.

“I love you Florence,” shouts an admirer from the crowd. The object of this affection recoils in mock-horror and nearly chokes on the water she is swigging. ‘Hot Penny Day’ is a magnificent piece from the second album, driven along by bubbling wah bass. Tom is really getting into it, gurning wildly. The rigours of touring notwithstanding, he seems to be absolutely fizzing with energy and enthusiasm.

We’re treated to the cosy familiarity of two tracks from ‘New Long Leg’. I can pretty much recite the lyrics, and I imagine quite a few others in the audience could too. Having sorted out a couple of guitar changes in amongst providing occasional percussion, Daniel adds acoustic guitar for ‘Stumpwork’ from his station behind the backline amps. Tom’s guitar is really chiming on ‘No Decent Shoes For Rain’, and Florence’s random phrases are making me chuckle. “Who are you? That’s right, you’re from the 70s. I’ve got to travel back in time to stop this madness.”

‘Goodnight’, from the first EP, another tale of pet-related heartbreak, is described by Florence as an “oldie”.“…but a goodie,” retorts an audience member. “YOU can say that,” the singer acknowledges, and it sounds like a line from a potential lyric. ‘Don’t Press Me’ motors along at a fair lick. The extensive touring schedule seems to have turned the band into a tight and slick unit, although there is a false start and brief hiatus before ‘Conservative Hell’, with an urgent whispering conflab between the band members. Florence enlightens us: “Lewis has stopped the song because he thought he saw someone he knew in the crowd.” This is greeted with a huge roar of laughter, and now the vocalist has got the giggles too. The song itself is a wonderfully expansive piece, with Daniel adding keyboards and Nick whipping up splashing waves of cymbal with a pair of mallets. Florence contributes some melodica to a dreamy breakdown section.

My position on the crash barrier is directly in front of Lewis’s monster stack, and I’m really appreciating the churning Precision growl, especially on the bass chords of ‘Liberty Log’. A gorgeous unstinting sustain from Tom’s guitar hovers over the top. He’s using an e-bow, a hand-held device designed for just that sort of effect. We revisit the first album for a couple of numbers and things are starting to get a bit lively at the front. The set concludes with the urgent and familiar riff of debut single ‘Magic Of Megan’, and that’s my cue to stop taking notes and have a proper dance.

Needless to say, there are encores. They still have the superb ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’ in the locker. This was the track that really helped the band break through when released ahead of the debut album. There’s a whole lot of dancing and chanting along. The very last number of the night is ‘Anna Calls From The Arctic’, a sublime soundscape from the recent album. With the intro beat provided electronically, Nick is free to honk a saxophone, and Daniel, who Tom makes a point of introducing to the crowd, is adding keyboards. The vast playout snowballs to avalanche proportions, and is a satisfying end to a fine set.

Dry Cleaning:
Florence Shaw – vocals, percussion, tape loops, melodica
Lewis Maynard – bass
Tom Dowse – guitar
Nick Buxton – drums, saxophone
Daniel Rumsey – additional guitars, keyboards, percussion

Dry Cleaning setlist:
‘Kwenchy Kups’ (from ‘Stumpwork’ 2022)
‘Gary Ashby’ (from ‘Stumpwork’ 2022)
‘Viking Hair’ (from ‘Boundary Road Snacks And Drinks’ EP 2019)
‘Hot Penny Day’ (from ‘Stumpwork’ 2022)
‘Her Hippo’ (from ‘New Long Leg’ 2021)
‘Leafy’ (from ‘New Long Leg’ 2021)
‘Stumpwork’ (from ‘Stumpwork’ 2022)
‘No Decent Shoes For Rain’ (from ‘Stumpwork’ 2022)
‘Goodnight’ (from ‘Sweet Princess’ EP 2018)
‘Don’t Press Me’ (from ‘Stumpwork’ 2022)
‘Conservative Hell’ (from ‘Stumpwork’ 2022)
‘Liberty Log’ (from ‘Stumpwork’ 2022)
‘Driver’s Story’ (from ‘Stumpwork’ 2022)
‘Strong Feelings’ (from ‘New Long Leg’ 2021)
‘Unsmart Lady’ (from ‘New Long Leg’ 2021)
‘Magic Of Meghan’ (from ‘Sweet Princess’ EP 2018)
(encore)
‘Scratchcard Lanyard’ (from ‘New Long Leg’ 2021)
‘Anna Calls From The Arctic’ (from ‘Stumpwork’ 2022)

drycleaningband.com

Tonight has been a thoroughly entertaining evening, with strong performances from all three acts. The last few hours have just flown by. I wish Dry Cleaning well in their ongoing mission to introduce the entire planet to random snatches of South London conversation, and I suspect both of tonight’s support acts are on an upward trajectory to greater things.