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Pop Mutations & Freakender present:Drahla
+ Special Guests
Wednesday 12th June
The Old Hairdresser's
Advance tickets available at https://www.citizenticket.co.uk/events/pop-mutations/
Drahla emerged in mid 2016 and quickly established themselves as a formidable and distinctive band across their two sold out 7” singles and 2017's Third Article EP. This in turn garnered the attention of the New York based indie behemoth Captured Tracks to sign the Leeds band. With another sold out 7” and the critically acclaimed debut album, 2019’s ‘Useless Coordinates’ under their belt the band spent most of their time on the road.
Headline tours across Europe, UK, USA & Canada alongside multiple festival appearances, including Meltdown at the behest of The Cure’s Robert Smith. This cemented the band as an uncompromising live force on the stage.
After an almost 3-year hiatus the band bolted back on the scene with two new singles, ‘Under the Glass’ and ‘Lipsync’. Another successful UK & EU tour along with multiple radio plays and a 6-music session with Marc Riley (The bands 4th appearance on the show) marked a solid return for Drahla.
As the dust settles on their latest release, ‘Lipsync’, the band gear up for the announcement of their much-anticipated sophomore album. All eyes will be on Drahla as 2024 will undoubtably the biggest year for the band to date.
This year, Drahla make their long-awaited return with their astounding second record angeltape. It’s an
offering that was not only interesting for the Leeds-based art-rock experimentalists to make, but offers
an intriguing world for audiences to explore with a similar curiosity that informed the songwriting process.
This inclination to eschew conventional melodic structures and embrace uncertainty across their latest
material gives fans an unfiltered insight into a challenging transitional period the band found themselves
in following the release of their 2019 critically acclaimed debut, Useless Coordinates. That blistering
introduction, described as a “darkly affecting uncompromising listen”, along with the success of their Third
Article EP from 2017, saw them share stages with Parquet Courts, Ought, Buzzcocks and several more.
Angeltape, recorded with Matthew Benn and Jamie Lockhart in 2023, is an altogether more introspective
and abstract examination of the self: “The core is off kilter I’m sure / When you feel too detached for your
own words,” Brown intones on ‘Lip Sync’, an early glimpse into Drahla’s extraordinary artistic evolution.
Angeltape is an avant garde document of the events that unfolded over the five-year gap between records
which saw a variety of changes – good and bad – steer their professional and personal lives down
unfamiliar territories. Instead of succumbing to adversity, however, Drahla re-emerge sounding creatively
rejuvenated and examine this time with deeply reflective perspectives. Over the last few years, they
suffered devastating losses and expanded their sound with guitarist Ewan Barr joining vocalist and
guitarist Luciel Brown, bassist Rob Riggs and drummer Mike Ainsley. These recent experiences – collective
and individual – culminate in a sound that is considerably darker and tonally more complex and conceptual
in its essence. Delving into themes of grief and trauma whilst simultaneously celebrating moments of
sentimentality and support during difficult times, angeltape shifts between being a challenging,
comforting and ultimately rewarding record for both artist and audience.
The addition of Ewan Barr to Drahla’s visceral and vital arrangements signaled a significant shift in the
band's dynamic, ultimately reshaping the way they approach their angular arrangements. Crucially, it
allowed Drahla to dismantle previous limitations and carve out new sonic avenues to experiment with
form more than ever before. Brown, in particular, embraced this opportunity to find different ways to
inhabit her contemplative lyrics. There was, of course, a readjustment period for the band as they came
together to write angeltape in this new iteration which kickstarted a renewed creative approach. “There
was an uncertainty and anxiety in not knowing how to rekindle what we had and what we did have just
didn’t exist in the same format,” Brown explains. “I feel this is apparent in the music; the constant changes,
opposing ideas and structures, the overall energy and drive of the songs. I think there's also the sense of
reconnection, encouragement and freedom, too. There's excitement borne from us finding something
together again.”
Sonically, the exhilarating interplay of driving bass riffs and charged drum patterns provide a captivating
contrast to Brown’s melodic spoken delivery. The enveloping atmosphere emanating from the quartet is
heightened by searing saxophone accompaniments by long-standing collaborator Chris Duffin, who has
featured on all of Drahla’s previous output. There’s an irresistible and unwavering potency surging
throughout this masterful second record, one that stays with you long after you first step into Drahla’s
enticing world. Furthermore, this exciting new chapter is anchored by the quartet finding a great source
of inspiration in the joy of playing music together, as bassist Rob Riggs adds: “When the four of us are in
a room, we each bring separate things to the table. Sometimes, a session would start a little bit disjointed
but then we find a way where we could all interlock together for a moment in a song and then disperse
again.”
Drawing some inspiration from experimental rock band This Heat, Drahla primarily found that their
greatest motivation came from listening to and following one another throughout the recording sessions.
“I think the process and inspiration for this album has been way more experimental and insular than taking
on any external musical references,” says Brown, “This record feels like it was built on a foundation of
insular inspiration.” This autonomous practice extends beyond Drahla’s music into the visual
representation of their intense and immersive instrumentation. It’s almost impossible to listen to songs
as intricately layered – musically and lyrically– as theirs and not imagine the spaces they exist within. Thus
providing an awe-striking multi-sensory experience every time you spend time with a Drahla record.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Old Hairdressers, 23 Renfield Lane,Glasgow, United Kingdom
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