Dream Wife bring their electricity to Brixton
On tour for their third album Social Lubrication, the punk trio brought a characteristically powerful energy to Electric Brixton in October.
Photo: Electric Brixton
Dream Wife as a group and live act have gained a reputation as something of a tour de force, and this London performance did not disappoint. As they stated before the gig: “Nothing compares to playing in the city we love and live in with the community that’s held us and formed us.” This sentiment shined through.
Supported well by formidable drag act Ash Kenazi and heartfelt indie group Prima Queen, Dream Wife played an impressive set — re-cementing their reputation as unique live performers. In every song, their passion for the music — and for fairness and justice — bled through. It was evident in their dazzling guitar riffs and smart lyrics but also their numerous crowd interactions and hilarious stage antics.
The setlist was thrilling: a mix of the new and old which captured the spark of the London crowd. The mosh pit was respectful, with a great atmosphere. A hallmark of Dream Wife gigs is a call for all “bad bitches” to move to the front. As lead singer Rakel Mjöll reminded us, this categorisation is not about constructs like gender: “All you have to do to be a bad bitch, is support your fellow bad bitches”. This has the effect of setting the crowd up for the fun and socially conscious show ahead of them.
As amazing as it was to hear some of the newest tracks live – their anthem Leech containing the oft-repeated mantra “just have some fucking empathy” comes to mind — the real highlights of the show were the Dream Wife staples. This included the track Somebody with its memorable and influential hook “I am not my body, I am somebody,” and the crowd being divided for the traditional on-stage ‘battle’ between guitarist Alice Go and bassist Bella Podpadec.
One unexpected highlight was the group’s cover of t.A.T.u’s smash hit All The Things She Said, complete with head-banging and high kicks.
Dream Wife have to be seen live to be believed — they exude joy, love and anger with their social commentary and high-energy performances. Easily one of my favourite bands to catch live, don’t miss the chance to see them if you can!