Photo by: Pooneh Ghana

Article by: Emily Schwarz

On a cold and windy Tuesday night, the silky and ethereal voice of Florence Shaw had the eyes and ears of the audience captivated as the deep, chuggy music filled the Empty Bottle. Hailing from London, Dry Cleaning brought a combination of melodic lyrics with energetic tones that had the entirety of the audience nodding their heads in a musical trance.

Opening up the night was Detroit music veteran Fred Thomas, under the guise of Idle Ray. Thomas’ solo released music has been previously described as “strange and insular sounds” which holds true for Idle Ray, which enthralled the Empty Bottle, as Thomas paired his inviting vocals with unique tones and sounds.

To start off the headline performance, Dry Cleaning opened up with “Sit Down Meal” off their 2019 EP Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks, which was one of two EPs antecedent to their 2021 album New Long Leg, which was Dry Cleaning’s first released full album. 

Florence Shaw’s slow movements and melodic voice helped to blend the songs into one another, almost in a bewitching way. Her stillness and calmness juxtaposed to the headbanging and dancing of the rest of the band created an interesting interplay between euphoric lyricism and the loud and heavy music behind her voice. 

To close out the night, Dry Cleaning ended their set with their arguably most popular song, Scratchyard Lanyard, which had everyone in Empty Bottle moving their feet!