Reviews

Dream Wife in Liverpool- Bad Bitches Fight Back

Jan 21, 2017 1447 views No Comments

The 20^th January, 2017. The day when Donald Trump tricked his way into one of the most powerful jobs on the planet. This Buyers Club gig was the perfect antidote to said man’s poisonous, racist, sexist, anti-human rhetoric. Four quality bands at the start of their careers served up four very different styles in this intimate upstairs Hardman Street, Liverpool, venue.

AGP (initials of lead singer/producer) opened the night to a quietly appreciative, decent sized crowd, with an accomplished set of, crafted krautrock songs and a mild dose of Scouse banter. The band’s favourite moment of the night, we learned ironically, is when they are introduced by name. Smiling, they picked up the pace again, foot tapping, head nodding songs that set the foundation tone for the rest of the night to be built upon.

Next were HAARM (@haarmband) from Liverpool, two of whose songs, Foxglove and In the Wild, I have had playing on constant repeat for the past two weeks. Excited to see how it would transfer to a live stage, I was certainly not disappointed. There is nothing better than finding a new band who are equally dynamic recorded as they are live, and as musically competent live as they are on…itunes, vinyl, CD, spotify etc etc. Not to be confused with the LA death metal band, Haarm consist of Chris McIntosh (vocals and guitar) Jen Davies (vocals/keyboard) and brothers, Olly and Dylan Gorman on drums and bass. The mix of Chris’ and Jen’s voices, as they sing the same melody lines, is like the blend of strawberries and cream, or tia maria and coke, or whatever your tipple! It is seamless and natural. Bound together by driving beats, inventive bass lines and sustained keyboard chords, the songs create the illiusion of a band that is on their third album. Joking that they are a new band with only five songs, they nevertheless gained nods of approval from an audience that was edging closer to the front by this point. Valentine, How Long? and Love in a Different World were followed by the two singles, Foxglove and In the Wild. The first is an anti-Tory, anti-misuse of power song. It is the perfect backdrop to today’s events, where a narcissistic, egotistical man was sworn in as world leader, with an exhortation to his country to do likewise and think of themselves at the cost of those less fortunate. Let’s hope. Mr Trump, as in the lyrics of Foxglove, “The ship that you’re sailing is going down,” because you “stand in the doorway”(of the White House) and “she (homeless Mexican immigrant???) sleeps in the doorway.” In the Wild is one of those epic songs that ebbs and flows, rises and falls and rises again with impeccable dynamics, as you go on a breakneck journey through life, alienated, yet pressing on regardless while looking back at your wasted years. An excellent, tight live band that I am looking forward to seeing again soon, and charting their future success. They play Telford’s in Chester on the 3^rd Feb and support Bloc Party in February, including the Albert Hall, Manchester on the 8^th

Jen from HAARM

There was so much love in the house for Liverpool duo, Her’s, (@ThatBandOf Hers) not least from the main act, Dream Wife, who all gravitated to the front to soak up their set. Quirky, humourous (mock American and Scouse accents) dreamy and talented, Stephen Fitzpatrick(vocals and jangly guitar) and Audun Laading from Norway (bass) are so different to all of the other acts on the bill tonight. Stephen’s deep baritone voice reminds me of Lou Reed or Iggy Pop on their more melodic pop songs. Imagine Lou Reed singing songs from Dirty Dancing soundtrack, spicing up the sweet melodies with deeply dark overtones. The song Marcel is a perfect example of this. Some of the bass runs were exquisite as were the arpeggiated chords. Undoubtedly a feelgood band with much more to come.

And so finally that quiet, reserved foursome from Brighton took to the stage with their sweet Icelandic folk songs. I am joking of course! Like Haarm before them, Dream Wife (@DreamWifeMusic) provided yet another kick in the teeth (oh what the hell…a kick in the balls!”) for the philandering misogynist across the pond. As the banners across the world proclaim, so Dream Wife perform. “Pussy fights back!” He had better watch out because the band have also allowed in to their tour van the flame haired, sassy, camera-wielding, Meg Lavender, “a bad bitch recruiter” who took charge of the pit and assembled a bevvy of like-minded ladies with brains and attitude around her. They rocked and danced out the lyrics of the band’s set. For me one timely lyric summed up the feelings of women across the world, a supremely apt mantra to be chanted. It showcases everything wrong about Trump and everything right about the protests and about this great band: “I am not my body. I am somebody.” I have checked again quite recently, and I am definitely a man, but I agree entirely with women fighting for equality and think that men should stand with them, even though they don’t need us to do it.

The set started like a maelstrom with the genius FUU. It is the best girl power song since the Spice Girls’ Wannabe. Forget zigga zig ah. FUU is Wannabe on steroids, wielding an axe. This is the song which should have been performed live at that dreadful inauguration. Here’s your first dance, Mr Trump. Trying grabbing this and see what reaction you get. The band clearly relished every minute of their time on stage, and, speaking to Alice afterwards, had really enjoyed playing the new songs for the first time. People took to the new material straightaway, while entering into the more familiar Hey Heartbreaker, Lolita et al with abandon. These guys can certainly play their instruments. Alice could easily go on to become an iconic guitar hero, if the dice fall favourably for the band. The riffs are biting, kicking, screaming. The drums and bass hold everything together while Rakel smiles photogenically, sweetly, while she informs you that she will cut you up. This Brighton project has gone way beyond an art experiment and has spawned a fully fledged band. Dream Wife are oozing in charisma, style, sass and potential and are surely ready to fly to the four corners of the globe, touting their own brand of post punk, Trump-toppling magic. T-R-U-M-P: Toppling Racist Unhinged Misogynist Pigs. All hail Dream Wife. All hail the new girl power.