dry the river. live. xoyo.

what: q now: the sessions

who: dry the river

where: xoyo, london, uk
when: 23 january 2012

support: rae morris and clock opera

despite the fact that london always was and always will be a place i do not enjoy, even i can’t deny the fact that the city is some sort of mecca for good gigs in the uk – obviously. so i fought all my natural instincts and made my way down to xoyo in islington for dry the river.

after a slightly disappointing walk down brick lane, a rather successful stop at rough trade east and freezing our toes off outside xoyo, singer-songwriter rae morris from blackpool was a great start to an even better night. having seen her before, i knew what to expect and was therefore really looking forward to her performance. she’s got a wonderful voice and makes other female singers like katy perry or lady gaga look really old. she doesn’t need background dancers and bright lights to distract from non-existing talent, simply because she has the talent. judging by the response she got from the audience, i’m certainly not the only one who fell for her beautiful piano tunes. (setlist: back to front, hard to forget, day one, oldest of new, for you, walls)

after a short break, the lads from clock opera entered the stage and i got to admit, they impressed me very much. i guess i would categorise their sound as somewhat a mix between indie-rock and dance music with a nice touch of pop, they certainly combine different genres. the four piece from london is going to release their debut album later this year, the single once and for all will be out next week according to lead singer guy connelly, whose emotional vocals seem to be the foundation of every clock opera song – rightfully so if you ask me.

no doubt that we enjoyed the support acts but the reason we came was dry the river after all. after having seen them a few times already, i was close to betting that they’d open with no rest, which they (to my surprise) didn’t do. instead the wonderful demons was up first, followed by no rest. dry the river are one of those bands that i didn’t know until i saw them live, which was probably the best thing that could happen. even though their sets usually don’t include any big surprises in terms of the setlist, every dry the river show somehow has a different vibe and not just because of different audiences but because the band seems to play every gig like it could be their last one – which certainly won’t be the case anytime soon.

their new single the chambers & the valves will be released at the end of next month (27th february), just a few days before their debut album shallow bed is due, so it was about time for them to play that song live. according to bassist scott miller, they haven’t played this song live in around two years, which was sadly noticeable in my opinion. although it might just have been a little different because i only know a studio recording. either way, the song’s great nevertheless and will make a great single for sure.

all-time favourites history book and bible belt were also part of the setlist, just as their current single weights & measures, which made the crowd go silent as the band began this one absolutely unplugged. lead singer pete liddle’s vocals shine on the one hand when they’re so fragile on the other hand – it’s simply stunning.

as family seemed to mark the end of their set, we sure didn’t need to beg for more for too long. i was definitely not the only one who was very grateful to hear shaker hymns, as several people were shouting “yes” as soon as the band played the first few notes of this song. i only wish they would’ve played a full band version including will harvey and jonny warren, just because the discreet violin and drums in the background make it even more amazing. but to be completely honest, shaker hymns is a beautiful song in every way, mainly because of the amazing harmonies from pete, scott and guitarist matt taylor. dry the river wrapped up their awesome set with lion’s den, a song that definitely shows why there’s no other folk-rock band out there right now that comes close to their brilliance. all in all, spending a night in london was not so bad after all, but only because dry the river totally made up for it. we shall see that combination again at the electric ballroom in may – until then, don’t forget to mark the release of shallow bed (5th march) in your calendars.

 pete liddle

 scott miller

 jonny warren

 will harvey

 matt taylor

dry the river - shield your eyes live @xoyo, london 

setlist:

demons

no rest

shield your eyes

history book

the chambers & the valves

new ceremony

weights & measures

bible belt

family 
 ---

shaker hymns

lion's den