Reviews

Artist: Dry The River
Venue: Cecil Sharpe House
Town: London
Date: 23 Jan 10
Website: www.myspace.com/drytherivermusic

"It's like a school hall" said the announcer of the Shhh! Alldayer held at Cecil Sharp House and, apart from the lack of markings for on the floor for badminton, basketball and the like, he was right. It was a big space to fill and one that Dry The River where able to comfortably fill with their music even though there was a distinct lack of a crowd until half way through their set (coinciding, no doubt, with the finishing of one the acoustic tracks in the smaller downstairs space).

Due to my usual habit of not listening to new bands before I see them play live I thought that Dry The River were a duo with one acoustic and one electric guitar. I then thought they must be a trio with the addition of a guy playing the glockenspiel as the first track was a new song with "half the lyrics written in the bar 10 minutes ago" I guessed they didn't have time to write the glockenspiel part. By the third track the glockenspiel had changed to bass, there was also a drummer and I had visions of a new member for each new song and the stage collapsing by the end of their set.

Dry The River's blend of gentle English folk, subtle American with, at times, almost a pop edge, sounds not dissimilar to Devendra Banhart. Dry The River have the ability to seem relaxed regardless of the influx of people halfway through the set or the slightly disturbing images of animated jelly fish, sea monkies and mutant fishes being projected on a large screen beside them (why I do not know).

Their performance earned a deserved encore and as they were accepting the applause an American guy sitting next to me said "now that's a band", they are, and certainly one worth seeing.

The Jacket

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