Dry The River are all about building. Their songs rise from acoustic hush to electric guitar tsunami. They’re London lads with sensitive tunes, plenty of facial hair and industry hype but they ain’t no Mumford & Sons copyists. They’ve real heart and, crucially, a bit of an edge.
So it proves tonight in Whelan’s, packed to the rafters with people eager to see the Next Big Thing. Sure, the likes of ‘Shaker Hymns’ are fragile, worthy odes consisting of close, angelic three-part harmonies and little else. However, Dry The River are just as likely to go all the way up to ‘11’. In fact, with their lank hair and tattoos, they’re a bit like a grunge band giving Nick Drake a shakedown. Pastoral, romantic whispers sit next to full on wig-outs. Often the twain meet mid-song.
‘Weights & Measures’ is a fine example, beginning with some tender strumming from mainman Peter Liddle before the full band joins in for an invigorating, crunching finish that lifts the “I was prepared to love you” refrain to anthemic heights. And you can’t help but grin at the sight of bearded folkies headbanging.
That’s how they end tonight, hair flying wildly. It’s an enthusiastic finale that echoes their opening – they kick off confidently with key track ‘No Rest’, which might just be their ticket to stardom, and don’t look back. If the rest of the set doesn’t quite reach that early high water-mark, the standard remains strong and their commitment to the live cause is clear. Violins sigh. We veer into British gospel. Gnarled Telecaster riffs play off delicate falsettos. Dublin is won over. Job done, the band wade into the crowd to meet their public. With Dry The River, folk doesn’t feel like a four letter word.