After building a reputation as paragons of the live performance, Deadletter soars even higher with ‘Binge,’ a biting incantation on intoxication. In a world of nicotine patches, ‘don’t talk to me before my morning coffee,’ and Klarna payment plans for your new shoes – frontman Zac Lawrence preaches at a world which demands everything immediately all the time. Instant porn, instant music, instant dating, and instant celebrity content have made us all shallow and impatient, and it’s hard to tell if ‘Binge’ is a call to arms against our current evolution or a sardonic ‘so what?’
‘Binge’ brings us a collage of post-punk, funk, and new wave. Written in 25 minutes back in January, Lawrence credits a formula of “drumline, bassline, lyrics, seasoning” to Deadletter’s creative process. It’s an organic recipe, all bare bones and knuckles and knees, building the skeleton of what a song needs before adding sinew and tissue. The drumline is of Alfie Husband’s doing, and along with George Ullyot on bass, the beat shoots straight to your muscles and gets you moving, all whilst scratching an impossible itch in the back of your skull. The guitar riffs from King and Bates combined have an almost Bowie sense of movement, bringing the glam that ‘Binge’ tells us we aspire to. Poppy Richler fleshes out the instrumentals on the saxophone, further demonstrating how the current post-punk scene’s revival of a horn section is a truly wonderful thing.
If there’s one thing that you can rely on from Deadletter, it’s that they bring an extraordinary energy to every song, every performance, and every music video. Lawrence is adrenaline incarnate, on screen and stage. He doesn’t just move his mouth, he entertains with his entire physicality; his movements are percussive, and his body is an instrument in and of itself. He is a frontman that steps down into the audience and growls in their faces while moshing along with them. Whilst premiering ‘Binge’ on BBC Radio 6 yesterday afternoon, Steve Lamacq said of the band that they “have an uncanny chemistry on stage” before describing their performance at this year’s Great Escape Festival as having a significant impact on the audience.
With their EP Heat due for launch in November, ‘Binge’ provides us with enough Deadletter to keep us satiated for the time being – but we want more, because we are greedy little wretches and life’s a binge. The band are currently touring the UK, with dates featured below, so catch them while you can.
Tour Dates:
18th August – The Blue Moon, Cambridge (Music Venue Trust Tour)
19th August – Chameleon Arts Café, Nottingham (Music Venue Trust Tour)
20th August – The Star Inn, Guilford (Music Venue Trust Tour)
21st August – Beautiful Days Festival, Devon
23rd August – Duffy’s, Leicester (Music Venue Trust Tour)
24th August – Elsewhere, Margate (Music Venue Trust Tour)
25th August – The Grain, Frome (Music Venue Trust Tour)
27th August – Reading Festival
28th August – Leeds Festival
16th September – Head Of Stream, Newcastle
17th September – The Flying Duck, Glasgow
18th September – Bootleg Social, Blackpool
20th September – Sidney and Matilda, Sheffield
21st September – Oporto, Leeds
22nd September – The Castle Hotel, Manchester
23rd September – Polar Bear, Hull (Supporting Yard Act) SOLD OUT
24th September – Dead Wax, Birmingham
26th September – Hope & Ruin, Brighton
27th September – Crofters Rights, Bristol
28th September – 100 Club, London
Tickets available HERE