Drenge - Drenge

More than five years since Jack and Meg White went their separate ways, their disciples are more numerous than ever – Alabama Shakes, Deep Vally and now Drenge. Though physically Drenge bare more of a resemblance to The Vaccines or Palma Violets, its Jack White they turn to when the time comes to cut loose, delivering filthy crunching riffs and yowling solos with little regard for prevailing trends or technical mastery.


They’ve been a surprise success story too, landing well inside the top ten at a time when much hyped acts like Savages limped to number 36.


Great early singles like ‘Dogmeat’ and the superlative ‘Bloodsports’ are included here alongside the more puerile ‘People in Love make me feel Yuck’. For some that title alone will be enough to having them moving onto more civilised things but the real charm of Drenge comes in their unpretentious buzzsaw energy, never harnessed better than in their ferocious live show. Like Pulled Apart By Horses or Future of the Left it’s difficult to capture their particular quirky energy on record but producer Ross Orton delivers some of his best work and for thirty-seven minutes the duo fizz and spark appealingly. It runs out of steam slightly towards the end with the lumbering ‘Let’s Pretend’ and the lightweight ‘Bye Bye Bao Bao’ but they manage one last blowout on the Libertines-esque ‘Fuckabout’.


In a recent interview Drenge may have remarked that they were “not totally overjoyed” by Labour MP Tom Watson’s stamp of approval. No worries, they’ll be making plenty more fans very soon.


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Max Sefton

Y Not Festival - Saturday

Saturday begins similarly to the way Friday did; the storm from the night before has passed and Y Not is waking up in warm tents in a damp field trying to piece together the night before and THAT storm.

Anyone hoping to have a steady road to recovery bundled into BBC Introducing’s allocation at the Quarry to catch These Mortal Cities. Their twinkling teenage indie came fresh out of the mid-noughties with the kind of enjoyable naivety festivals should be about, especially considering the crowd was barely over age in most parts of the tent.
From one indie band to another, much more professional and enjoyable one; Sky Larkin took to the main stage to play tracks from their forthcoming record as well as a few fan-favourites. Judging by a few of the tracks, Motto could be a strong return to form for the Leeds band.

From here, one of the possible standouts of the festival come in the form of Drenge.  A big crowd has assembled for the duo in anticipation to hear the MP plugged grunge that will surely heat up the charts next week; and the boys don’t disappoint.  It’s loud, energetic and even features a song about a bus.

I Am In Love follow. What everyone was expecting to be a simple 30minute set however, quickly became a party that featured people playing rugby, a marriage proposal (of the lead singer) and drumming from the middle of the crowd. When you bare in mind that this is all in the smallest tent of the festival, its certainly a feat. Whitemore following this do not satisfy to the same extent and its up to 65DaysofStatic to battle a painfully short set and bring the tempo back up. They do not disappoint with a set that features material taken from their upcoming record as well as the singles from their last and of course, the epic Radio Protector. If only they had over half an hour in the sun!

The 1975 then cram a tent full to the brim for their performance. It’s energetic and a hugely uplifting set full of material that’s bound to set the remainder of the summer alight once their debut LP is out next month and it leads us perfectly back across the Y Not site for a set of Ash’s greatest hits. Their time at the top is most definitely behind them, but Ash still know how to put on a great show and the masses assembled at the main stage agree.

After this it’s only the Cribs left and they headline in style. Whilst the setlist doesn’t favour those who prefer their older material, almost every single from their last decade gets an outing as the band’s Payola record is rifled through in what feels like no time at all. The festival’s biggest crowd so far also proves to be the most raucous and as the Y Not party continues through the night, you’re left wanting more Cribs and less of their last two LPs.

Braden Fletcher

Drenge - Backwaters

If the bludgeoning 'Bloodsports' hasn't been enough to keep you tided over from Drenge, then new track 'Backwaters' should do quite nicely. After witnessing an incendiary set at last weekend's Great Escape in front of a packed Brighton corn exchange, it's hard to see how the DFA1979 meets QOTSA pummeling guitar/drums duo won't blow everyone's minds, and ears this year.

Toby McCarron

Deap Vally / Drenge / Death At Sea @ London Dingwalls

As far as hype goes, Deap Vally and tonight’s supports Drenge and Death at Sea have been generating a fair buzz between them. The rock’n’roll girl duo at the top of the billing have caused a frenzy on their recent travels after the likes of debut single Make My Own Money lent them column space that namechecked Jack White; whilst Drenge have been taking it in turns to top the billing on the tour and rocked out with their breed of noise every night.

The evening opens with Death at Sea. The Liverpool band’s debut single Drag features in a set that marks them as a definite group of gentlemen to keep a watch on as the likes of Floating Together sound like summer smashes and Zachary turns it down to the level of a love song. On any other bill, they’d be in danger of stealing the show. Drenge come on next to stop this happening though. Whilst this writer thinks that Drenge lack in substance, what they do to make up for it may well be even better. The levels of energy that the duo give off shine brighter than the lights in Dingwalls and the room fills to hear what seems like the heaviest surf sound you didn’t know you wanted to listen to. If that doesn’t make sense, try watching them live and come back to me. New single Bloodsport is a highlight in a set that powers through technical difficulties.

So its time. You can take your blues comparisons, your Californian rock clichés and timid shouts of “I want to be on you” (you stay classy, London) and throw them in Camden Lock because as Deap Vally come on stage, their smiles mean business. What they deliver in the likes of new single Lies is a raucous noise that can scarcely be believed to be simply one guitar and drums. The sound that Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards create could well be that of a full band; and in many ways it is. As End of the World cuts in, slowly and steadily, the few hundred assembled know what’s about to happen and as the chorus kicks in people start to move. Getting them going has been a bit of an effort considering how loudly they cheered but Deap Vally are persistent and a series of new tracks don’t dampen the spirits of the audio-hungry in the room. Make My Own Money B-side Ain’t Fair features alongside new tracks such as Walk of Shame (of which the title gets a cheer; we all know that feeling) and breaking their curfew, the two-piece come back on stage for an encore of I Put a Spell on You.

The Screaming Jay Hawkins track echoes around the small venue as Lindsey’s powerful vocal chords leave the crowd grasping for more as she teases the front row on what truly is a stunning cover. Ending with one last scream, its over. With shows like this, you have to wonder how long the hype machine can keep Deap Vally before thousands are dancing at these shows.

Braden Fletcher