In one of the hip-est parts of London, Camden Town, there lies a nook in the wall which contains the Electric Ballroom- a Tardis-esk, rock n roll nightclub that seems like the ideal venue for the grunge trio Drenge. What with its dipped lighting and walls slathered in red, the 'scuzzie' aesthetic sets the perfect tone for a night rife with carnage. The band entered the music scene as a duo emitting enough teenage angst and aggressive witticism to pump out sounds that echo bands such as the grunge pioneers Melvin, the naughties infamous Milburn, and fellow duo Bass Drum of Death. The band released their first self titled album, 'Drenge', back in 2013 establishing themsleves as a band renowned for aural chaos and the rage-y pummelling of drums. In more recent developments the Loveless brothers have joined with bassist Rob Graham, refining their sound whilst keeping their feet firmly in grunge roots. This progression is materialised within their newest release 'Undertow', which catalysed their latest tour.
As a gig venue The Electric Ballroom is one to note down for generations, not to be hyperbolic. Its history and notoriety is formed on the back of rock musicians and their fans, with the likes of The Cramps, The Virgin Prunes and more recently Royal Blood performing there its popularity comes as no surprise. With a variety of standing options, even balcony window frames, its a great venue for any kind o' gig goer.
If you arrived fashionably late to the venue, never fear, there was still a chance to claim a space amongst the soon-to-be unruly crowd and would have made it just in time to see warm up band Big Deal. Big Deal are known officially as a duo, comprised of Kacey Underwood and Alice Costelloe, and what with two albums successfully under their belt the band have secured a reputation to be "more grunge than gooey". What with equal male to female ratio of band members (initially just a duo and now a quartet) and armed with fuzz tones for days it came as no surprise they put on an enjoyable show, complimenting the sounds that were soon to follow.
With the temperature of the crowd already rising- due to sheer capacity- Drenge's entrance on stage couldn't have come sooner. They Kicked off the night with
Running Wild, which did in fact make crowd go 'wild' (I'm sure they would have run too given half the chance), transforming the crowd into a sea of failing limbs and catalysing the first shower of beer. The trio stormed through an impressive sixteen song set list made up of old and new, including faves
I Wanna Break You In Half, Gun Crazy and
Bloodsports, as well as new crowd pleasers
The Snake and
Never Awake. The theme of night seemed to embody the band's recent hit
We Can Do What We Want, whereby the crowd thrived on aggression, ignored all the rules, and relentlessly gave each other a good old mosh bollocking. After bloodthirsty periods within the mosh and circle pits, slower tracks were much appreciated and thankfully received with a hearty howl-a-long to such songs as
Fuckabout and the finale
Let's Pretend.
Despite the minimal crowd interaction, the band's rebellious persona didn't go unnoticed, however nor was it scrutinised, rather the crowd merely embraced their presence, no doubt, finding their nonchalant attitude relatable. When attending a Drenge gig you should expect a night of (very enjoyable) pandemonium, to leave with a shirt dripping with sweat and a few souvenir bruises, and maybe feeling as though you've been broken in half.
Go find them:
https://bigdealmusic.bandpage.com
https://twitter.com/drenge
https://www.facebook.com/drengeboys
https://soundcloud.com/drenge
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