He rose to fame after starting the British group alongside Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood.
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Any thoughts that Dry Cleaning might come across as being too cool on their return to the Tramshed were quickly dispelled. Touring their latest album Secret Love, the south London quartet have refined their sound to the point where it feels less like a postpunk gimmick and more like a language of their own.
Support came from Tony Bontana, which at first seemed a leftfield pairing. The Birmingham rapper-producer’s recent work has been described as experimental hip-hop, and there’s a strong DIY spirit to his sound. It went down well with the headliners’ audience and it feels like his latest album My Name is giving him some career momentum.
If there is a misconception about Dry Cleaning, it’s that their live show might somehow not translate live. While Florence Shaw’s bone-dry, half-spoken delivery makes her an unlikely focal point compared with more demonstrative frontpeople, she certainly has presence.
Around her, the band create a restless, often hypnotic angular sound which has been broadened with their newer material. Tom Dowse’s guitar lines sketch out the songs with a serious array of effects pedals while he hops about the stage as if standing on hot coals. Lewis Maynard pounds his leopard-print bass to create a muscular backbone, and Nick Buxton underpins everything with precise drumming. Touring musician Josh Eggerton adds further texture on keys and guitar.
Alongside tracks like Cruise Ship Designer and Sliced By A Fingernail from Secret Love, we had favourites like the ode to the lost tortoise Gary Ashby and Strong Feelings. Inevitably, the wonderful Scratchcard Lanyard garnered the biggest reception of the night.
One of the warmest moments came when Florence explained the band’s affinity with Wales – their first two albums, New Long Leg and Stumpwork, were recorded at Rockfield Studios. That made the introduction to Magic Of Meghan all the sweeter, its reference to a pair of jeans crafted in Wales feeling like a typically odd Dry Cleaning detail. It was an unconventional night, but Dry Cleaning’s combination of deadpan narrator and a band verging at times on metal proved that opposites do attract.
Dry Cleaning + Tony Bontana, Tramshed, Cardiff, Mon 20 Apr
words and photos KARL ELLIS
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