Drenge
The Loveless brothers at the Waterfront
Big Deal opened the night at the early doors Waterfront gig, a band that apparently only consists of two uitarists, despite the four members on stage. The less said about them the better, other than to say that their name is woefully ironic, and the only people more bored than the audience seemed to be their drummer.
On to the main act, and the reason that a crowd much younger than I'm used to seeing in the city has crammed into The Waterfront at 6:30pm, Drenge. If Big Deal were tepid, Drenge are the complete opposite. Thirty seconds into the roaring swell of noise and the audience suddenly shudders to life, full of a chaos and passion that lasts the ensuing 45 minute set. The band's addition of Rob Graham (of Wet Nuns fame) on bass was a bold move but one that's paid off no end, fitting perfectly into their dynamic and resulting in a wall of noise that shakes rib cages and pushes the crowd to a blissfully rampant edge.
All told, it was one of the most sweaty, intense and enjoyable gigs I've ever seen in Norwich, a fervent mess that now, 48 hours later, I'm still recovering from. Drenge gave it everything they had, the audience gave it back ten fold, and it was fucking wonderful.
