DEADLETTER + MODERN WOMAN – CHALK, BRIGHTON 14.11.24
DEADLETTER are a band on the up, going from strength to ‘Hysterical Strength’, the title of their debut album, released on 13th September. A six-piece, based in London, they occupy a zone of the post-punk spectrum informed by an early 1980s vibe, echoing bands of that era like Gang Of Four. The inclusion of a saxophone adds a jazzy and arty element, and the songs are dancey and intellectual in equal measure, with powerful grooves and lyrics brimming with wry observation.
I first came across the band at the 2021 ‘Mutations Festival’, crammed onto a tiny stage in The Folklore Rooms. Since then, extensive touring, along with critical acclaim generated by their 2022 ‘Heat!’ EP and the debut album, has brought them to a progressively wider audience. Tonight’s headline show at Chalk is the 28th date of the ‘Hysterical Strength’ tour, which has been all around Europe and the UK since early October. As ever, it takes determination and tenacity to succeed, and this band is as hard-working as they are talented.
We’re treated to an interesting and eclectic set from tonight’s support Modern Woman, which is described below, and now it’s 8.45pm and time for Deadletter. The band members take their places and launch the intro to ‘Credit To Treason’, with deep lumbering bass and ethereal guitar atmospherics, before the main beat kicks in at a fair lick. Frontman Zac, shirtless from the get-go, trots onto the stage, acknowledging a loud cheer. He rattles a tambourine with manic energy, emphasising key points with deft leg kicks, as recent recruit Nathan weaves a serpentine sax line around the urgent guitar chug.
Flanking Zac in the centre of the stage is bass player George, with guitarists Will and Sam house left and right respectively. Sam’s extensive array of effects pedals should be sufficient to conjure any manner of otherworldly noise required. Drummer Alfie’s kit is on a riser slightly off centre. There seems to be a trend, certainly in Chalk, for lighting bands from fixtures at the rear of the stage, silhouetting the players. It’s certainly vibey, but being old school, I personally prefer to actually see the performers.
Wonderfully bouncing bass and honking sax open ‘The Snitching Hour’, its rapid-fire vocal bursting with lyrical gems on the theme of nosey neighbours. I love the image of sitting in the flowerbed camouflaged in a Ghillie suit, and as a frequent train traveller I can’t help but chuckle hearing the line “Well who’d have thought it? If you see it, say it, it is sorted!” The crowd around me are well into this too, with an enthusiastic chant-along to the “Ding! Dang! Dong!” hook. Album single ‘Mother’ is evocatively emotive, with waves of guitar and sax gushing over an intricate shuffle beat, and Zac crouches down to get close to the front rows for ‘Bygones’, with more gymnastic wordplay to set my brain aflutter: “The bygones have gone by, the hatchets are buried…”
There’s no barrier tonight, affording the vocalist easy access for the first of many forays into the crowd during the bass-driven ‘Degenerate Inanimate’. He’s whipping up the audience further during the album’s title track, and they respond in turn with some lively dancing to the acerbic strut of ‘Madge’s Declaration’. By the insistent groove of ‘A Haunting’, this has developed into a proper mosh, with Zac perched atop the monitors to survey the chaos as Alfie’s massive drum fill signals a careening playout.
Shimmering slivers of tremolo guitar embellish older number ‘Hero’, the B-side of an early single, with wood block clanks driving the rhythm and the crowd enthusiastically joining in with the “It burns!” hook. Having been back in amongst the audience during ‘Practise Whilst You Preach’, Zac straps on a 12-string acoustic for ‘Auntie Christ’, the album closer, which brings down the tempo, if not the intensity.
“Alright Seasiders! Shall we dance?” our man enquires, firing off a massive air kick as George unleashes the delicious juddering bass motif of ‘Relieved’, and things are getting very lively again down at the front. Album lead single ‘Mere Mortal’ sees Zac back in the crowd, and they helpfully part to form a circle in which he sits cross-legged to deliver the slow and moody opening section of ‘Deus Ex Machina’. With a shout of “What this place needs…” he bounds back onto the stage, and the eye of the storm disappears in a swirling maelstrom of kinetic energy. In case you were wondering, the latin title (meaning “God in the machine”) is a literary term for an “unexpected plot twist”, as the lyric explains, where some previously unseen force intervenes to sort out whatever mess the storyline has got itself into. The implication seems to be that we could really do with one in our current reality.
‘Binge’ is a glorious chant-along, with the lead vocal delivered leaning over a sea of outstretched arms, as the crowd gets a mighty bounce on. “That was f*cking beautiful,” acknowledges Zac, at its conclusion. Deadletter aren’t the sort of band to do the “encore” charade, so the announced final song, ‘It Flies’, is just that. The sea of hands is back, this time with wiggling fingers to sign the hook: “the omnipresent flicker of the television set”. It really is a beautiful sight to see, and a fitting ending to a magnificent set by a band at the height of their creative powers.
Deadletter:
Zac Lawrence – vocals, acoustic guitar
George Ullyott – bass, vocals
Alfie Husband – drums, vocals
Sam Jones – guitar
Will King – guitar, vocals
Nathan Pigott – saxophone
Deadletter setlist:
‘Credit To Treason’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘The Snitching Hour’ (a 2023 single)
‘Mother’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘Bygones’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘Degenerate Inanimate’ (a 2023 single)
‘More Heat!’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘Hysterical Strength’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘Madge’s Declaration’ (from 2022 ‘Heat!’ EP)
‘A Haunting’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘Hero’ (from 2022 ‘Pop Culture Connoisseur’ single)
‘Practise Whilst You Preach’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘Auntie Christ’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘Relieved’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘Mere Mortal’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘Deus Ex Machina’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
‘Binge’ (from 2022 ‘Heat!’ EP)
‘It Flies’ (from 2024 ‘Hysterical Strength’ album)
Support tonight comes from Modern Woman, a five-piece band from London, based around the songwriting of lead vocalist Sophie Harris. It’s interesting from the start, with opener ‘Offerings’ driven by an insistent bassline over unusual sounding clanking percussion. My background reading suggests this is most likely an upturned colander. The vocal roams erratically through an impressive range, its weird folky vibe violently punctured by powerful hits that eventually coalesce into an impressively big and noisy freak out. I rather like it.
‘TDLH’ motors along nicely on staccato guitar stabs and whole band pushes, whilst ‘Neptune Girl’ is a more angular lilt in 5/4 with an absolutely delightful guitar riff from Matt, house left. It concludes with a rather lovely violin section from multi-instrumentalist David, who stands behind a bank of keyboards on the other side of the stage. Juan on bass and Adam on drums handle the intricate rhythmic shifts.
‘Daniel’ is a gentler piece, opening with guitar arpeggios and legato bowed violin, its warbling vocal spanning an expansive dynamic range. There’s a bit of instrument swapping on ‘Blessed Day’, with bassist Juan adding sax whilst David takes over bass duties. It’s a bouncy number, with guitarists Sophie and Matt grooving in the middle of the stage. ‘Ford’ thumps along briskly with some additional percussion, with the singer sitting down to play the guitar effects during a swirling psych outro of thumping drums. Things get properly manic on ‘Achtung’, with David taking over on guitar, freeing up Matt to clank a cowbell. ‘Dashboard Mary’ is more reflective, but builds slowly and inexorably towards another big expansive playout to conclude an intriguing and rather satisfying set.
Modern Woman:
Sophie Harris – vocals, guitar
David Denyer – violin, synths, percussion, vocals
Juan Brint Gutiérrez – bass, saxophone, vocals
Adam Blackhurst – drums
Matt Baker – guitar, vocals
Modern Woman setlist:
‘Offerings’ (from 2021 ‘Dogs Fighting In My Dream’ EP)
‘TDLH’ (unreleased)
‘Neptune Girl’ (unreleased)
‘Daniel’ (from 2021 ‘Dogs Fighting In My Dream’ EP)
‘Blessed Day’ (unreleased)
‘Ford’ (a 2022 single)
‘Achtung’ (a 2023 single)
‘Dashboard Mary’ (unreleased)
