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Dry Cleaning

Feb 28, 2020 Web Exclusive By Dom Gourlay Photography by Ian Weston

If the latest post punk revival feels like it may have ran its course, someone clearly forgot to tell both of tonight’s acts. Or maybe they just don’t give a damn about conforming to any specific genre?

That certainly seems to be the case with Pozi. Each of Pozi‘s - pronounced “Pozzy” not “posy” - three members has played in numerous musical ensembles of varying descriptions for years. Which makes their awkward and occasionally brutal sonic melee all the more beguiling and ultimately, enticing.

Particularly as their set gains momentum, which it does with every passing number. Each spat out in the most vitriolic sense by drummer-cum-mouthpiece Toby Burroughs, who takes the role of lead vocalist for the most part. Ably assisted by Rosa Brook’s obtuse violin sketches and the skewered rhythms of Tom Jones on bass. Pozi are an anomaly of sorts but one that instantly demands your attention. Like an experiment in a musical laboratory that’s equal parts Public Image Ltd, King Of The Slums and The Raincoats. All melded together disparately with no fixed coarse. Their blend of left field sonics and tempestuous diatribes are both infectious and unmissable.

Pozi

Which are two adjectives regularly used to describe tonight’s headliners. Ever since their Sweet Princess EP landed unsuspectingly on our desk eighteen months ago to be precise. Indeed, its been something of a baptism of fire for Dry Cleaning. Immediately thrust into the spotlight off the back of that EP and its successor Boundary Road Snacks And Drinks. They’ve become one of the most sought after new bands on the circuit, almost by accident. Playlisted on BBC 6Music almost from the word go, while being hotly tipped both within the industry and outside it.

So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that tonight’s show in the intimate surroundings of Birmingham’s Sunflower Lounge is completely sold out. As with most of the shows on this tour, tickets were snapped up weeks ago. Yet while a never ending deluge of plaudits have rained in for Dry Cleaning since those initial recordings saw the light of day, there is every justification.

Dry Cleaning

Not least because every song they’ve released so far - and ten of them feature in tonight’s eleven song set - has its own identity. There’s something or someone most people can resonate with in the likes of “Good Night” or “Dog Proposal”. Something evidently familiar about the way Florence Shaw drops couplets about everyday activities (alright, we’ll excuse the “Have you ever spat cum in a Travelodge?” line) in her laconic, deadpan style that makes the invariably humdrum sound fascinating. Exciting almost, which means even the unreleased new song aired midset written as “Jam Jar” on the setlist finds fully concentrated audience members - mainly in the front row - repeating its final verse in subliminal fashion.

While Shaw’s vocal delivery welds the whole thing together, the three musicians around her are equally dynamic. Playing a riveting mix of styles that blends repetitive psychedelia and krautrock with (post) punk sensibilities. Fully highlighting their musical backgrounds having also played in bands of various styles including metal and blues. Guitarist Tom Dowse leads the way, angular riff after angular riff propelling the likes of “Magic Of Meghan” into orbit while the most taut of rhythm sections dictate each and every song’s pace.

Dry Cleaning

When Pozi return to the stage for a celebratory run through first EP closer “Conversation” for the grand finale its a sight to behold. This isn’t the future of post punk we’re witnessing but the birth of post everything.