London three piece, The Drink descended upon the esteemed Brighton venue, The Prince Albert on a cold winter’s night in the dead of January. Ultimately, the weather proved perfect accompaniment for the music that was to transpire later that evening.
With two albums secured, The Drink play the perfect blend between down tempo psychedelia and post-punk, something that arrives as a happy medium between The Breeders and Warpaint. Highly established critics from the likes of The Guardian and Drowned In Sound have all taken notice over the last couple of years and made a fuss about the sparse, delicate sound of the three piece and the enigmatic aura they can generate at their live shows.
 
Beginning the set with the haunting opener from Capital, The Prince Albert is immersed within the icy wash of ‘Like a River’. Front woman, Dearbhla Minogue paints the walls of the venue with her intricate, reverberated guitar lines; what emerges is the perfect platform for her lullaby voice. The crowd is instantly wooed with her enticing vocals as bass and drums rumble underneath. The fantastic aspect of this song is the musicianship that runs throughout, time signatures vary allowing choruses to loom large whilst verses are thinly distributed. Much in a fashion to the likes of Esben and the Witch or Low, the beauty of the song is often found in the gaps between the music where the voice is left in isolation.
 
Carrying on into the set and beginning to find their groove, The Drink tear through their recent single, ‘Roller’ which finds a perfect hook within the chorus allowing the crowd to sway along in unison. Minougue’s vocals cut along throughout the verse finding a platform that is not too dissimilar to how The Breeders would sound when cruising into happy nothingness on a sedative.
 
The likes of ‘You Won’t Come Back at All’ and ‘The Coming Rain’ play out a bouncing groove allowing bassist, Daniel Fordham and drummer, David Stewart to demonstrate their exquisite musical ability. A lovely dark-folk melody is located within the ghoulish echo of Minogue’s vocals finding her a comparison to the likes of Cate Le Bon. Particularly within ‘The Coming Rain’, a chorus is found that is set to hit much larger venues than the intimacy of The Prince Albert. Dynamics much in the fashion of Built To Spill cause fluctuations that are essential to crafting a song that is built for live experiences, it is a song such as this that takes the band away from being excessively self-indulgent but instead a band for all to watch and enjoy.
 
Visits to 2014’s debut album, Company often draw on an older, abrasive post-punk sound. ‘Dead Ringers’ and ‘Microsleep’ are aired which certainly point to the likes of Television et al as reference points. It is these diversions to a different sound that allow for dynamic within the set keeping punters on the edge of the seats.
 
As members of the band grow thirsty, beer is passed between the group setting a perfect image for the band. An enjoyable union between the group and an ability to craft music that is made for cold January nights. The Prince Albert remains silent between short song intervals, proving the point that clearly The Drink have kept them snugly in the palm of their hand throughout.
 
Capital was released on Melodic Records in November 2015, I certainly recommend getting your hands on a copy.
Tom Churchill