Dry Cleaning’s Cinematic, Spoken-word Post-punk Entrances Fans at Portland, OR’s Wonder Ballroom (SHOW REVIEW)

Dry Cleaning have been on the up and up for several years now, but with the release of their new album Secret Love (REVIEW), they seem to be connecting on a larger scale than ever before. Perhaps their blend of post-punk and spoken word, led by Florence Shaw, speaks to the nihilism of our time through its deadpan, playfully cynical delivery, or perhaps they have just gotten damn good at what they do. Either way, their return to the United States is always welcome, and on Sunday, May 17th, they brought their current jaunt to Portland, Oregon for a show at the Wonder Ballroom. 

Getting the evening going was NYC’s Hotline TNT, who warmed up the audience with a short set that combined grungy rock with post-punk and shoegaze into one combustible mix. While the band wasn’t much on stage presence and antics, they kept the momentum going as they blasted their way through guitar-driven songs like “The Scene,” “Son In Law,” “Stampede,” and the heavy melodicism of “Had 2 Try.”  

By the time the members of Dry Cleaning hit the stage, the venue had nearly filled to capacity, and they let out an exuberant cheer as the band opened with the angular and sinister-sounding “Sliced by a Fingernail.” For the next ninety minutes and change, they took the audience on a sprawling journey that touched on most of their catalog, with songs from Secret Love dominating the set. Early standouts included “Gary Ashby,” with its kinetic drive complementing Shaw’s lyrical flow; the loose and funky “The Cute Things,” which shone with some fine guitar shredding from Tom Dowse; and a swaggering, sneaky take on “Secret Love.” “Strong Feelings” also stood out for its bassy, New Wave-esque sound, and “Anna Calls From The Arctic” got the saxophone treatment from Nick Buxton before the band dropped into a trance-inducing jam to elevate Shaw’s sharp and offbeat vocal delivery. 

While there have been plenty of bands that incorporated spoken word into their songs, Dry Cleaning stands out for making it the centerpiece of their identity while also demonstrating serious musical chops. This was evident throughout their performance in Portland as they continued to gain steam and inject each song with more energy. At times, it was like the band was creating a swirling storm of sound around Shaw’s stoic lyricism and vocals. On songs like “Cruise Ship Designer,” the beat-driven “Scratchcard Lanyard,” and “Evil Evil Idiot” with its dark trip-hop vibes, their versatile musicality provided a soundtrack to add tension and drama to Shaw’s delivery, which at times almost hit like she was the cool-voiced narrator of an infomercial or documentary. The combined effect in Portland was the band’s ability to imbue the songs with a cinematic quality.

The band and the audience were riding high into the final stretch of the show, with the buoyant indie rock of “Joy” and the frenetic guitar action of “Magic of Meghan” standing out. When they finally encored with “Hit My Head All Day” – easily the catchiest tune on their new album – they had pulled the entirety of the room into their delightfully strange musical world and reminded them that, amongst the modern wave of post-punk outfits, they are among the most compelling. 

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