DRY CLEANING @ Rosemount Hotel

Dry Cleaning @ Rosemount Hotel
w/ Blake Scott
Friday, December 16, 2022

If you’re a post-punk fan and haven’t heard of Dry Cleaning then you have some serious catching up to do. After two excellent EPs, the tongue-in-cheek South London outfit have released two modern day classics in 2021’s New Long Leg and the recent Stumpwork which saw the band add some more atmospheric layers to their sound. The band delivered and then some on Friday night, treating punters to an excellent cross-section of their short but enviable career.

Up first was a very appropriate opener in the form of Blake Scott. Known as the frontman for modern classic punkers Peep Tempel, Scott has since gone on to release his debut album Modern Professional in 2021. Peep Tempel classic Carol featured, a slow take on this classic tune which milked Scott’s grizzled voice for all it was worth. Other tracks included 2020 single Fever, which was superb.

Dry Cleaning came on, as expected, to relatively little fanfare and jumped straight into Kwenchy Kups from their latest LP. It was a wise, soft opener to the set and transitioned seamlessly to its album follow-up Gary Ashby, one of the band’s finer pop tunes (if they can be called that). As the song’s bass line churned away underfoot it became clear what a well-oiled machine the band was. Frontwoman Florence Shaw's delivery may seem light but musically these South Londoners are rather dense, their rhythms clockwork rather than improvisational. Together, guitarist Tom Dowse, bassist Lewis Maynard and drummer Nick Buxton were as razor-tight as a metal band. None ever took the spotlight, nor did they get a mention throughout the set, but this was one of the finer displays of a democratic and tight group playing in recent memory. 

Fan favourite Scratchcard Lanyard followed, surprisingly early in the set given it’s arguably the band’s best known single. Its chopping verse riff was excellent. Earlier single Viking Hair followed, with Shaw’s distinctive ‘woo-oohs’ reverberating through the audience against those droning, twangy riffs. The song was one of the band’s bigger builds and they carried this off effortlessly.

It's worth noting that Florence herself was everything one would hope for. Whether it’s an act or not, her body movements and distanced, oftentimes bemused expressions were perfect. She delivered her lines with a mixture of punky dissidence and neurotic consideration. At times she showed more energy, as when the tones of Her Hippo gave her more space to stretch out amidst the subtly building guitar and bass. Through no fault of her own, the vocals were a bit underplayed live as compared to on record. Her vocals weren't as audible from further back in the stage, her voice sometimes relegated to role of fourth instrument. Thankfully this had no effect on the crowd, who loved every minute (and likely had committed each lyric to memory). 

This year’s Hot Penny Day was a highlight, nailing its grindy wah-wah guitar rhythm against one of then band’s finer verse-chorus builds. The bass, against lines of feedback and trumpet, was truly hypnotic. Last year’s Leafy was a moody, bass-driven number which gave way to Stumpwork, a softer number with that now-familiar chorused guitar jangle. The stop/start chorus sounded exactly as on record, and it was great to hear one of its central, most absurd lines read aloud with perfect enunciation (“not full power/ half its potential/ medium”). No Decent Shoes For Rain was a bit of a placeholder on the album and unfortunately felt so live as well, but Don’t Press Me was a welcome blast of energy (“don’t touch my gaming mouse you rat”). 

Strong Feelings certainly evoked them, with beauty in simplicity. The maracas came out to big cheers before the iconic phased riff of Unsmart Lady. The churning Magic of Meghan (whose low-key panning of Meghan Markle will age like wine) was a highlight of the whole set, its riff so iconic. Tony Speaks! was a slightly underwhelming penultimate track, but things concluded on a strong note with 2022’s album opener Anna Calls from the Arctic. It was a very hypnotic, uncanny rendition very true to the original. There was no better showcase for the hypnotic and rhythmic power of Dry Cleaning, including the beautiful blasts of sax. They said a lot, but how much they meant is open to debate. Less debatable was the band's impression left, which was incredible. Until next time. 

MATIJA ZIVKOVIC

Photos by Adrian Thomson