Dry Cleaning, a UK post-punk band, performed their first NPR Tiny Desk Concert over the weekend, taking over East London record store World Of Echo. The four-piece dove into spoken-word cuts from their critically acclaimed 2021 release New Long Leg, such as “Her Hippo,” “Unsmart Lady,” and “Leafy,” as well as “Viking Hair” from 2019’s Boundary Road Snacks And Drinks EP, which was framed by tapes, vinyl, tote bags, T-shirts, and posters of The Fall and Wipers.
“Some people definitely find it uncomfortable to watch me, that’s something I’ve heard a lot of people say–to me, for some reason,” lead vocalist Shaw told Pitchfork back in April of the band’s sing-speak style. “It’s not a persona. My way of getting into it is just to concentrate very hard and to observe the room very carefully and to feel things that usually I am holding back.”
She added, “The thing about Dry Cleaning is that it’s only space, so you don’t have to worry about someone mishearing it or there not being a gap for you. Maybe the timing comes with that, not having any doubt about how to deliver the vocals, the kind of self doubt that I have all the time in normal life.”
