Somewhere between dredge and deranged, right? Yes, that’d be about right. Lake District brothers Rory and Eoin Loveless are frankly bored, disillusioned and nasty, though their nascent videos display a hooligan-with-a-heart indie-conscientiousness.
Drenge make an enervating, monochrome noise, part Jesus and Mary Chain, Stooges and early (read: good) Kings of Leon. The twelve tracks don’t run too deep, but one presumes they’re more for smashing up cars and drinking white lightning to than dissecting over your frapuccino at Cafe Nero.
The titles say a lot: Dogmeat, People In Love Make Me Feel Yuck…Drenge’s is not a rose-tinted view of the world. Drums clatter ambitiously, but the production remains steadfastly in the pub toilet cubicle, resilient, puking and pale.
Standout track ‘Face Like A Skull’ is rather great, walloping Rocket From The Crypt and nearly libelling KoL‘s ‘Molly’s Chambers’. Drenge are full of positive bleakness, a very British take on the more romanticised likes of The White Stripes or the great Deap Vally. They’ve listened to the same songs, but broke the ghetto blaster while rescuing their trainers from their best mates mum’s bedroom.
[Rating:3.5]
