Dry The River have been working for a long time – a really long time.
One of those groups who seem to almost constantly be on the road, sessions for the band’s debut album stretched across 2011. Now that said LP ‘Shallow Bed’ is in the can, Dry The River can be excused from letting their hair down.
Headlining the inaugural instalment of Jen Long’s Simply Rad night at the Queen of Hoxton, Dry The River are a constant fixture throughout. Drawings are first on, with their strident indie rock helping to dust away the early evening enniu.
Close friends of the headline act, Dry The River hop onstage for an impromptu finale. Grabbing all manners of sticks, beaters and shakers the five man percussion section help Drawings bring a sturdy but unfocussed set to a close.
No sign of Dry The River when Deaf Club are onstage. Last year’s ‘Lull’EP was a wonderful introduction to the group, who add a sweeping sense of grandeur to the dream pop template. Live, there is the predicted muscle that volume can bring but Deaf Club also have an indefinable charm.
Confident throughout, new single ‘Sunday’ is predictably the stand out. Crisp, evocative indie music Deaf Club give off the impression of being a band carried by their own momentum – where they end up is entirely up to them.
On record, Dry The River seem to emphasise their tender, emotive side. Recorded by Peter Katis – responsible for break up records from The National, Frightened Rabbit – ‘Shallow Bed’ is often affecting, but it rarely rocks out. Which, of course, can’t be said for their live show.
At times bordering on Crazy Horses levels of frenzied volume, Dry The River have a force of character that can’t really be denied. Sticking to a short set, the night is less a showcase for the album than a celebration of the journey that led to it. Finishing with an appropriately shambolic jam, the band invite friends, colleagues, fellow musicians and complete strangers onstage to bash their equipment into merry hell.
All of which is fine by us – they deserve it.
