LIVE REVIEW: Dry cleaning

By Resonate | March 23, 2022

Words by Giannis Nikodimos

On a Wednesday night at the sold-out Marble Factory, a Bristolian crowd got ready to witness one of the most talked-about bands in the UK post-punk scene do their thing. Dry Cleaning have built huge hype with their new album, New Long Leg, which was crowned ‘Album of the Year’ by Rough Trade and Resident Music, so there was a lot of excitement for this headline appearance. 

The night opened with support band PVA who performed a loud, energetic set and received a great response from the audience. Their mix of techno, post-punk, and disco felt like a breath of fresh air in the punk scene and carried itself exceptionally well live. 

Dry Cleaning entered the stage with the song Leafy, which highlighted the lead singer Florence Shaw’s idiosyncratic vocals by letting them shine high in the mix alongside her trademark sombre stage presence. Her introspective spoken-word delivery contrasted nicely with the playful and extroverted presence of guitarist Tom Dowse, highlighting both their personalities. 

The band played an hour-long set primarily focused on their newest album. The show was tight, and flowed well, but it didn’t feel like Dry Cleaning had figured out how to present their sound at bigger venues. Sometimes volume and power were lacking, but when guitarist Tom Dowse experimented, it sounded much more loaded and powerful. It was clear the band have not fully found their feet with their live sound, although what they have already on the table is really appealing. It is just a matter of time before they’ll be producing a sound that will work better for their bigger future gigs.

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