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CultureMusicLive music

Drenge at Dingwalls

Drenge at Dingwalls | Live review
27 February 2013
Tom Yates
Avatar
Tom Yates
27 February 2013

Hailing from Sheffield, alternative rock outfit Drenge consists solely of brothers Eion and Rory Loveless. While the sound of a two-piece sibling band inevitably invites aural comparisons with a certain Jack White-fronted, red & white sporting rock duo, the musical DNA of Drenge has far more in common with another Detroit-based blues ensemble: The Von Bondies, with the vocal style in particular recalling Jason Stollsteimer’s.

The unassuming duet slip onto the stage virtually unnoticed, but as a mild shrill of feedback swells into a luscious drone of fuzzy distortion, Drenge quickly capture the audience’s full attention, and – after quickly overcoming an early technical fault that threatens to mar their forceful start – effortlessly sustain it throughout their engaging, albeit brief set.

Achieving exactly what all small bands need to in a live environment (particularly at venues as exposing as Dingwalls) Drenge sound an awfully lot bigger than their appearance suggests. Full-bodied and dynamic, they lay siege to the venue’s PA system with admirable vigour.

Recent double A-side single Bloodsports has confident, lurching riffs that give the track a QOTSA-esque swagger, and Dogmeat is a jerky number that, like almost all of Drenge’s tracks, barely comes close to reaching the three-minute mark.

At times the pace lessens, but the quality does not. In fact, their standout track is the slower-paced and gloriously irreverent People in Love Make Me Feel Yuk. It is an undeniably infectious little song, clocking in at less than two minutes, with a melody that instantly reels you in.

It’s a rare occasion when their brevity almost works against them you’d rather the song kept going and went with a formulaic structure, purely so you could enjoy a second verse and chorus. To be sure, it’s a minor complaint in what is otherwise a very satisfying and hugely promising display.

★★★★★

Tom Yates

 For further information and future events visit Drenge’s website here.

Watch the video for People in Love Make Me Feel Yuk here:

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