I went back once more to the Festsaal Kreuzberg. After being a bit uncomfortable with crowding at the sold-out Godspeed show I saw there just a few weeks ago, I was relieved to go with friends and that it wasn’t as packed. We got a great spot.
First up were The Tubs, who I knew nothing about. I’ve since read that two of the four members (plus one that has since left) once played with Joanna Gruesome, who I saw once upon a time and rather enjoyed. Unfortunately, the Tubs were less exciting and more mainstream. Instead of noise rock and punk influences, I heard a good dose of U2 and R.E.M.-style jangle rock. The Scottish drummer, Taylor Stewart, stole the show, even if most of the crowd couldn’t understand him. This might be the first time I’ve seen a drummer with more presence and humor than the rest of the band. I wanted more of his energy and less of frontman Owen Williams’ fairly standard-issue lyrics and vocals. Lead guitarist Dan Lucas and bassist Max Warren were quite adept, though.
First up were The Tubs, who I knew nothing about. I’ve since read that two of the four members (plus one that has since left) once played with Joanna Gruesome, who I saw once upon a time and rather enjoyed. Unfortunately, the Tubs were less exciting and more mainstream. Instead of noise rock and punk influences, I heard a good dose of U2 and R.E.M.-style jangle rock. The Scottish drummer, Taylor Stewart, stole the show, even if most of the crowd couldn’t understand him. This might be the first time I’ve seen a drummer with more presence and humor than the rest of the band. I wanted more of his energy and less of frontman Owen Williams’ fairly standard-issue lyrics and vocals. Lead guitarist Dan Lucas and bassist Max Warren were quite adept, though.
[The Tubs.]
But the reason I was there was Dry Cleaning, who my partner and friends saw at Immergut in 2024 and became enamored with. I missed seeing them open for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds because I didn’t want to deal with the detestable Uber Arena. Finally, I got my chance.
This was the opening night of the tour for Secret Love, which came out in January, and hence we saw the debut performance of several songs from the album. They opened with the debut performance of the new non-album single “Sliced by a Fingernail” as well. They ended up playing the entire album as well as several older songs, but it felt like they were rushing through the set to play as many songs as possible. I wish they’d slowed down and let the songs breathe a bit more. The closer of the main set, “Conversation”, was the only one where they really cut loose and let the song develop into a heavy jam, and it was awesome. That was the highlight of the show.
That isn’t to say that I didn’t appreciate Florence Shaw’s vocals. Her deadpan, ironic spoken word performances elevate these musical workouts into something more. Independently, the music would feel formless and the words would seem unhinged and contextless. Together, they form a space where you can enter into visions of modern life and get comfortable with tearing it apart. Some of the backing vocals from her bandmates made me think of Gang of Four, which certainly makes sense given the socio-political angles and the punk influence. Guitarist Tom Dowse in particular had a hardcore punk aesthetic about him, although his guitarwork was all over the place, ranging from precise, melodic lead lines to heavily-effected swells of sound. Bassist Lewis Maynard spent almost the entire show headbanging, but he had a funky percussiveness and fluidity that endeared him to me. Drummer Nick Buxton surprised me by playing a brief sax part on one song before returning to his kit. The four core members were joined by Josh Eggerton on keyboards and acoustic guitar to further expand their sound.
My other critique is a classic one: the mix could’ve been better. The last couple shows I saw at the Festsaal sounded great, so I was disappointed that the mix was poorly defined in the high end. Shaw’s vocals are what suffered most. I could only understand her vocals about a third of the time. That wasn’t an ideal balance.
But beyond that, they really deliver a punch. Some songs were a bit tame and restrained, but most were full of life and energy. I would’ve loved for them to have more space to develop and flow, but maybe they’re trying a different approach. Although if they were trying to foreground the words, the mix undercut that effort. Nonetheless, it was easy to get into step with them.
[Dry Cleaning.]
Setlist (borrowed from here):
01. Sliced by a Fingernail
02. Blood
03. Gary Ashby
04. The Cute Things
05. Secret Love (Concealed in a Drawing of a Boy)
06. Strong Feelings
07. Anna Calls From the Arctic
08. Her Hippo
09. My Soul/Half Pint
10. Cruise Ship Designer
11. Scratchcard Lanyard
12. Evil Evil Idiot
13. I Need You
14. Don’t Press Me
15. Rocks
16. Magic of Meghan
17. Joy
18. Let Me Grow and You’ll See the Fruit
19. Conversation
Encore:
20. Hit My Head All Day
Scores:
The Tubs: B-
Dry Cleaning: B+
Thanks to Alyssa and the rest of our crew!
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