There are some bands for whom a performance in a student union building feels entirely fitting, and London’s Dry Cleaning is one of them. Heroes of the post-punk sprechgesang movement, their wordy delivery is unmistakeably borne of an art-school background, balancing knowing pretension with cutting social realism. This is some seriously smart art.
With two albums to draw from, Dry Cleaning’s live show comes together in a unified whole. Scratchcard Lanyard (the flagship single of their acclaimed 2021 debut, New Long Leg) is dropped early, easily the fan favourite of the night. But choice cuts from last year’s Stumpwork – so named for a twee, intricate style of flocked embroidery – take a slightly more expansive vocal approach, weaving new flecks into their tapestry. Conservative Hell (“am I part of the meal deal?”) elicits an excited whoop from one eager crowd member, as does Gary Ashby, an ode to a missing tortoise that sees frontwoman Florence Shaw intone a semblance of a melody with infectiously droll panache. “Someone sent us an Instagram thing saying RIP Gary, just assuming that he’s dead,” she offers by way of commentary. “It was upsetting.”
