Fresh off the announcement of their second album, ‘Stumpwork’, the boundary-pushing South-London four-piece, Dry Cleaning return to Nottingham for a long-postponed Rough Trade show. Louis Griffin gives his thoughts.
“The Malmö thing is happening again” deadpans Florence Shaw, singer for Dry Cleaning, as she gazes into the middle distance. They are a band that have built their career on these kinds of non-sequiturs, delivered by Shaw in monologue, set to a meticulous art-rock backing.
But this time, it’s real – Shaw is speaking to the band’s sound technician, in response to a fault of unclear nature. “Something happened in Malmö” she tells the perplexed crowd, unsure if this is a joke or a genuine issue, “and it’s happening again, Grant.” Grant is the band’s sound tech – Shaw tells us that they’re celebrating their first anniversary of working with him – and upon an unseen adjustment Grant makes, the Malmö issue disappears as quickly as it came on.
"...live, the sheer complexity of what the band do, and how they carry it off, is obvious and mesmerising."
This is ever the appeal of Dry Cleaning. Their joy – and sadness, and anger, and pain – exists in the grey area between Shaw’s words, and our interpretation of them. Her lyrics are obtuse, odd meditations on modern life, and often seem to be quotes lifted directly from day-to-day experience: “thanks very much for the Twix”, “Shane has joined the chat” “Cash Point, Help Point, Christmas Tree Recycling Point”. This isn’t to say that the lyrics are the only thing of worth in their work - their live performance hammers this point home, as it’s in this arena that the rest of the band perhaps shine brightest. The musical accompaniments to Shaw’s words are strange, and often fiddly, melodies and rhythms which feel both unnatural and catchy in the exact same way that her singing does. But live, the sheer complexity of what the band do, and how they carry it off, is obvious and mesmerising.
There’s a sense of relief and joy too – this show was originally meant to take place in December 2021, before all-too-familiar delays forced several reschedules. It was a celebration of Rough Trade’s Albums of the Year list, which placed Dry Cleaning’s debut album, New Long Leg, at number one. We’re now gathered together half a year later, and the band have recorded and announced a follow-up, Stumpwork, to be released in October - making the people in possession of a ticket to tonight’s show early adopters. They’re a band that rewards obsession and close listening, as evidenced by how many people are singing Shaw’s odd phrases back at her tonight. The band keep thanking people – the crowd, Rough Trade, Grant – for their patience, and for their dedication. But ultimately, it’s us that leave feeling grateful – the show felt like a precious, special thing to witness, and the lucky hundred of us in that attic bar on Saturday won’t forget it in a hurry.
Louis Griffin
Edited by: Caradoc Gayer
In article video courtesy of 4AD via YouTube. Cover image courtesy of Steve Gulleck via Pitchfork.
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