Drenge – Eoin and Rory Loveless – are hardly the types to worry about selling out gigs, with a heads-down, no-nonsense take on stagecraft they would probably be recreating in a cellar had they never escaped their suburban tedium.
Yet the Green Door Store was utterly packed, with shifting space at a premium and the entry boarded by silhouettes witnessing a brutal form of angst-rock which has caused talk of a grunge revival.
In truth, the brothers’ guitar and drums knockabout is only the most currently noticed tip of an underground scene in which heavier bands reside, their songs laying a relentless emphasis on blood, guts and despair via titles such as I Want to Break You In Half and new single Bloodsports.
If that makes these whippet-thin malcontents sound wearingly teenage, their approach – vicious guitars, strangled gutterals, a tendency to give the impression of men playing their last performance before a firing range – proved tersely thrilling, never sounding like a note was wasted, even when they blasted and bludgeoned their way through extended rock-outs.
Their music makes clear the convincing case for less posturing and more menace.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here