Drenge

Peak District's Drenge came to Rescue Rooms in Nottingham....
Drenge : Live

Drenge : Live

The setting is the designated area of natural beauty that is the Peak District of central England. The area is home to the world Heritage site known as Arkwright’s Mill, which over two hundred and fifty years ago was the first water powered cotton mill, in which seven-year-old children worked twelve hours a day to make Sir Richard Arkwright the richest man in the land. The region today still retains its idyllic charm, but the small towns have little industry apart from tourism and are bereft of opportunity. Alongside this, vulturous southerners are buying up property, not only as a summer residence but also as a dowry for their already over privileged offspring, leaving the locals displaced and angry as they cannot afford to live in the towns of their birth. This malcontent has at least been a catalyst for the Loveless brothers who make up the core of Drenge to vent their dissatisfaction and produce some vibrant and forthright music.

DrengeThe surname is representative, not in a My Bloody Valentine drone kind of way, but in the lyrical context of wanting to love less, perhaps reflecting their disaffection with the mating game, “People in love make me feel yuck” and “I don’t want to make love to you,” are two examples from their self-titled debut released two years ago. Since the first albums release Royal Blood seem to have seized Drenge’s initial impetus and with a similar band set-up have taken the formula of the power duo and with a burnishing of the aggressive grungier elements alongside a more standard rock structure has culminated in a stadium sized sound that has been lauded by the likes of Dave Grohl and Jimmy Page. The current tour supporting the new album, Undertow, opened at the Rescue Rooms Nottingham on 10th of April and similarly to the rest of the current jaunt was sold out in a matter of minutes. Support was provided by PINS, whose short but effervescent set showcased their evolving and improving noise pop ethos which gets more sophisticated on each subsequent release, with the new single “Too Little Too Late” being a standout piece.

DrengeWas it just a coincidence that the day that Montage of Heck (Kurt Cobain biographical documentary) was released in the United Kingdom, it was also the day that Drenge opened their tour as an expanded grungier trio? The addition of Rob Graham on three tracks on the new album and also as a permanent fixture in live performance has not only filled out the sound, but has improved the stage dynamic – all three members looked more comfortable than the brothers did alone in the power duo set-up. “Blood Sports” had a two guitar sonic assault rather than bass and guitar, which gave it new zest and vitality, placed alongside the new single “We Can Do What We Want”. The Nirvana-esque “Favourite Son” with its familiar love/hate cry of “I wanna be hugged and I wanna be kissed / I don’t wanna be fucked I just wanna be his” trod familiar lyrical territory but had a verve and an ache that had previously been missing. The set was relatively short and with no encore they certainly left the crowd eager for more. Royal Blood may have won the battle but on that performance the war certainly isn’t over.

Drenge

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