Weeknight gigs at The Tote are brilliant because everyone is solely there for the band. The word intimate doesn’t get used a lot when you’re talking about heavy grunge acts, but these two brothers from Derbyshire made it feel like you were watching them jam in their home basement. There were no theatrics and crowd-pleasing rants, just good music.
Eoin Loveless, the elder of the two, proved to be very talented with his amp. The tempo was constantly changing, keeping up with the lively crowd. His raw and inconsistent vocals actually emphasised the twisted lyrics, mainly involving blood and violence.
On the drums, brother Rory Loveless was equally impressive. Drenge are as explosive as The Black Keys onstage. It’s surprising how diverse their sound can be for a two-man band.
At an hour in length, the set was way too short and ended before you could really break a sweat. Highlights included People In Love Make Me Feel Yuck, Fuckabout, Backwaters and Face Like A Skull.
Perhaps the ballsiest finish to a gig I’ve seen, before the final song even ended the two lads put down their instruments, walked off the front of stage and made their way through the confused crowd to the front bar.
BY CHRIS BRIGHT
Loved: Fuckabout.
Hated: That I didn’t get to see these guys at Laneway.
Drank: Carlton Draught.
