Last Friday, Manchester’s Dirty Blonde opened up for 00s icons The Subways at Chinnerys in Southend as part of the Indie Cult Club.
Images courtesy of Gas & Shutter and Indie Cult Club
Former single ‘Come Over’, an opener that could set fire to any setlist, emerged from the gutter dripping in sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. Filthy basslines and snarling licks swelled with devilish temptation.
A rock anthem with a three-act structure is hard to find, but they delivered just that on ‘Don’t Cry’. Allis McKay, delivering a rare angelic vocal, sowed the seeds of romantic betrayal and a vulnerability in the protagonist you immediately root for:
“Celebrating with a bottle of Tequila
Too busy dancing to have the chance to miss you
Oh no are you sad? Well read the signs”
McKay’s vocals were deliciously sniping and sardonic as she laid waste to the ex. The melodic euphoria coursing through the cringing bleakness of the lyric “I got a missed call from your ex” was a moment of juxtaposition to saviour. When Dirty Blond hits bigger stages, one young person from Manchester will be cowing at their parents, eating their mummy’s sausage and beans for comfort..
Then, in the closing stages, the solo fires out with Noel Gallagher’s early sense of freedom and Slash’s showmanship to give the protagonist ultimate closure.
Dirty Blonde's dramatic storytelling was enough to captivate the packed Southend crowd, but they didn't stop there. They closed their set with ‘Run’, a monstrous guitar record that blended Royal Blood's intensity with BRMC's leather-clad rebellion.
What Wolf Alice started in 2015, Dirty Blonde are destined to end with a thunderous jolt to the guitar scene!