Live Review

Dexters – The Macbeth, London

• 25th Feb 2013

Energising the crowd with the bold beats of reggae, ska and punk, the Lazy Talk’s blend of music proved just as unusual as the mix of band members themselves. Repping completely different looks and a contrast in styles, surprisingly the band members complemented each other well adding more than enough groove to keep the audience rocking out in each song. Following on from these boys and more suited as a quintet, Edinburgh’s The Merrylees went straight into the majestic ‘Farewell Dryland.’

Their impeccable harmonies and jangly percussion sent waves of psychedelic pop and Country and Western influences into proceedings. But everyone’s here to see Dexters and they did not disappoint…

Big up this boy wearing the homemade Dexters t-shirt bellows front man Tom Rowlett as he welcomes on stage an honest fan whose co-ordinated apparel went down well with the East London band. Pulling the boy’s jacket off and exposing the printed top underneath, the band showcased a much neater display of their name than the clumsily hand-painted DEXTERS banner that hung across the back wall in the Macbeth.

Hosted by club promoters ‘This Feeling’, the night had a Dexters print all over it. Performing the last headlining show until the summer, you’d think the band members were playing together for the final gig of their career, considering the mighty presence they brought to the stage.

Diving into the acoustic driven anthem ‘Start to Run’ with a delicate command “let’s make up for all lost times, tonight” the five piece energised the audience with all-action guitars and made sure their soaring lyrics swept through the haggard venue.

Darting from one band member to the next blaring heartfelt harmonies down their ears, the lead singer ups the adrenaline when ‘Recover’ ruptures.

And the frantic chemistry proves hard not to get caught up in. Raw, lively and pure, the lung-busting intensity of this song represents the band’s ‘av’ it large’ style of music. With each explosive chorus, it’s as though the chanting fans have mistaken the pub along Shoreditch backstreets for a packed out stadium – sounding as forceful as the music wall which has formed in front of them.

For each chorus of the ‘Hard Way’ the lead singer leans into the crowd demanding a deeper intimacy as he delivers vocals so raw yet extremely well-rehearsed from this passionate song. The smashing drums in the chorus of set closer ‘Oceans’ are truly spectacular and make this song a live favourite. And with these big tunes and a proper energetic live show to fuse them together, the crowd just know they’ve witnessed something massive.

Drawing on a cross comparison between the The La’s and The Jam, the Dexters are tipped as one of This Feeling’s best new bands around. Already with a decent list of high-profile support slots they will be supporting The Courteeners on some of their forthcoming UK tour dates. Check them out at [link]

Venue: The Macbeth, London
Support Band: The Merrylees, LazyTalk