With a new tour on the horizon, the Dry the River gig was inevitably going to be amazing. It soon hit 7:00 when Bodega began to fill up with the indie kids from every crook and corner, fashionably late (we could expect nothing less) and in no time it was beard galore.
The support act was no different, the bassist sporting only what I could call the greatest hat to be worn on the earth, Blaenavon was simply stunning. Only 17, the indie trio from Hampshire are definitely a band to look out for. With the lead singer’s voice hauntingly beautiful, they had the crowd fully behind them.
As they left the stage, the lights dimmed sparking cheers and claps from the crowd, we all knew what was coming. As the familiar figures filled the stage and the lights brightened, ‘Alarms in the Heart’ (also the name of Dry the River’s most recent album) bellowed from the stage. Dry the River fans are a loyal bunch, and with every song, the crowd could be heard singing along. They played all-time favourites ‘New Ceremony’, ‘Bible Belt’ and ‘History Books’ and this sent the crowd crazy. Their last song before the favoured encore ‘No Rest’ was performed with a slight spin. The opening lines were sung acoustic and we were all reminded just how angelic lead singer Peter Liddle voice is. ‘Shaker Hymns’ was performed acoustically; every harmony left the crowd speechless. They ended with ‘Weights and Measures’ and this unified everyone; there was a reason we were all here.
Listen to ‘Weights and Measures’ here:
The gig was no short of comedy. Coincidently, it just so happened to be the bassist Scott Miller’s birthday and as every human should; he celebrated with a considerable amount of beer. Cracking jokes from being 21 to Liddle’s need to change his guitar as ‘it didn’t match his outfit’; he kept the crowd in stiches.
Humbly, as soon as the gig ended they were in the crowd, mingling with fans. Dry the River are an extremely talented band, every song is a poetically written story and when performed these emotions are conveyed. They are a god send and I will never tire of seeing them.
By Leyla Jusu
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