POST PUNK IS THRIVING THANKS TO DRY CLEANING

Florence Shaw of Dry Cleaning at the Teragram Ballroom, LA by Jacob Alvarez

THE SOUTH LONDON BAND PLAYED A SOLD OUT SHOW IN DOWNTOWN LA

Dry Cleaning make some of my favorite music to date. Post Punk is arguably the most enjoyable genre for me due to the love I have with it thanks to Interpol and bands like Sonic Youth and Joy Division. Therefore when I found out about this band through a post on Instagram (thanks Will Tompsett of 4AD), I instantly gravitated towards them.

They’re not for everybody with singer Florence Shaw performing more of spoken word vocals as opposed to traditional singing. I dig this however, and I can immediately hear the comparisons to Goo era Sonic Youth and Kim Gordon. I attended the show with good friend Luis Lopez who puts me onto a lot of stuff before it pops off in the mainstream. We showed up pretty early and Lopez lost his debit card to a parking lot pay station. Opener Kamikaze Palm Tree didn’t really do much for me. It seemed like a math-rock style that was all over the place but I have to give credit to the singer who was simultaneously playing drums while shouting lyrics.

The crowd was split between and older and younger crowd with mostly 20 year olds packing the stage. When I listen to Dry Cleaning, I am in a relaxed state, where I could be writing articles such as I am doing now, or working on a bootleg piece. It walks the fine line of being energetic and chill which is great, but at the live show, it was completely the former. This was a great crowd that showed heavy enthusiasm for each song, shouting “I LOVE YOU” to Shaw who showed a shyness to her stage presence. She still commanded the stage, and it was something unorthodox where she would speak lyrics while gazing into the audience, locking eyes with myself on a few occasions. Similar to a deer in headlights, her eyes did not match her standing, with the lyrics almost affecting her with each performance. I admire when a band gets lost in their music. That’s what you want to see.

Drummer Nick Buxton needed a timeout for a second after he pounded his set into the floor, messing his drums up. Guitarist Tom Dowse absolutely shredded with his almost shaved head, losing it on the latter half of the set, spinning and thrashing meanwhile bassist Lewis Maynard performed most of his set from very edge of the stage. The middle portion of the audience began an intimate mosh pit once the opening riff of “Magic of Meghan” began to play. I was amazed to see fans cheer on tracks like “Conversation” and “Sit Down Meal” from the band’s early EPs Sweet Princess EP and Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks. I enjoyed the absurdity of “Her Hippo” and the band ended strong with popular cut, “Scratchcard Lanyard,” both off of their debut LP, New Long Leg, which also prompted a final pit.

I was lucky enough to charm the sound guy to get a set list, and the merch was fitting for Dry Cleaning’s image, although many of the fans in attendance were already in the band’s shirts and hats. I haven’t been feeling 100% at shows and perhaps it’s due to a little burnout from attending so many, but needless to say, I will see this band every time them come to LA. Check out the set list here!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!