Live Review: Dry Cleaning

By Resonate | May 17, 2023

Words by Giannis Nikodimos

South-London band Dry Cleaning returned to town for a headline appearance at the O2 Academy Bristol, promoting their newest album, Stumpwork, which made up the bulk of their setlist. I saw Dry Cleaning at the Marble Factory last year, and the band that stepped on stage this time greatly outshone last year’s version. They have clearly found their own sound and unique characteristics, with the obvious highlight being Florence Shaw’s spoken world vocals and absurd poetry.

Another interesting change for the band is the addition of a keyboard, player to support songs from their new album, which created a new layer for further experimentation for the band. As always, the excellent guitar work, wholesome performance and control of the lead guitarist Tom Dowse are a highlight of the show. The band sound better than ever and are finally able to emerge into larger venues by bringing a louder and noisier live performance. Dry Cleaning staked their claim to be heading up a new post-punk scene, and they will continue to grow and engrave themselves even deeper with different sounds and evolving references. I, for one, will be keeping my eye on them.

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