Photo Credit: Daniel Delikatnyi
Given the diamond-in-the rough status and the word-of-mouth kudos within the post-punk scene that DEADLETTER have garnered on their journey to stages like Rescue Rooms, there was an excited air of anticipation ahead of Modern Woman’s supporting performance. These hopes were certainly met, with an exciting offering of narrative punk-folk fusion to warm the room up on a cold November evening.
In particular – Achtung! is a really special song. It moves between English Teacher-esque narration, but ramps up into something with a lot more bite before descending into what can only be described as beautiful chaos, as front woman Sophie Harris broke out into horror-fuelled screams and sunk down to the floor. Aside from the screams, Harris has some really enchanting witchy folk vocals, and when paired with violin dissonance and jagged percussion, you get an exciting whirlwind. The theatricality and tension captured was just electric – this is definitely a band to have on your radar if you like the sound of good old fashioned DIY punk maximalism in a bed of folk. 8/10
DEADLETTER kicked off proceedings with Credit to Treason – the opening track from their debut album Hysterical Strength. Right out of the gate – the descending saxophone riff told the audience everything they needed to know about where exactly they would be if they didn’t already know. Sweaty, broody post-punk goodness. However, while a lot of bands within this wave have perhaps started to become a little bit stagnant, and perhaps even quite literally bogged down within the misery of it all, DEADLETTER still have a lot on offer.
Zac Lawrence is scarily captivating as a frontman. His performance fluttered between stony stares and frenetic movement with an impressive intensity. Because he was shirtless throughout, the audience could literally see his ribcage shaking and his veins tensing as he punched out each word with immense emphasis. It’s intimidating in the best possible way. On the dance-punk infused tracks, he was full of life, beckoning the audience to join him on his wavelength. And he’s not the only one bringing the energy – guitarist Will King was firing off shots with his guitar as though it was a loaded gun – adding a sharpness both sonically and visually to amplify that intensity. At one point, he started playing leant against the wall of the stage, as though he was giving into it – it was brilliant to see an artist so completely encapsulated in the music.
Madge’s Declaration was a definite highlight of the night, and upon leaving the venue, murmurs of ‘I got shoes, but no soul’ could be heard flooding out of Rescue Rooms as this absolute earworm penetrated the heads of fans. They’ve only been around since 2020, but already this one is feeling like a proper classic.
On a similar note, it has to be said that DEADLETTER have well and truly mastered the art of a catchy hook. Part of what makes their gigs so much fun is that even if you don’t know every word. There’s always a place for the whole crowd to join in, creating that really brilliant mob like quality to their music. In a live setting, the audience actively participates within their music – and not just vocally. There was an incredibly active pit throughout the night, which isn’t always a given at these sorts of gigs – it’s certainly something that’s earnt. It’s hard not to dance, with those propulsive basslines from George Ullyott and incredibly funky saxophone lines.
The night ended with two heavy hitters – Binge, which Lawrence delved down to the floor for, only driving the crowd on more, and It Flies, a delightfully frenetic track which perfectly captures the magic of DEADLETTER to round out a really great evening. It’s a lovely wall of dissonant noise, complete with cowbell, tambourine and ‘the omnipresent flicker of the television set’, and the crowd is alive for it. It’s not hard to see why this band have become a cult favourite.
8/10
Written By: Izzy Morris
