Dry Cleaning is an English post-punk band formed in South London in 2017. The band consists of vocalist Florence Shaw, guitarist Tom Dowse, bassist Lewis Maynard and drummer Nick Buxton. They are characterised by their primary use of spoken word instead of sung vocals, as well as their unconventional lyrics. Their musical style has been compared to Wire, Magazine and Joy Division. They have been described as "Annette Peacock fronting the Fall or PiL or Siouxsie and the Banshees".
Longtime friends from South London formed Dry Cleaning back in early 2018. At the time, they were beginning to neglect music: Tom Dowse was working as an art lecturer at university, Nick Buxton was making furniture and about to start his own business. Together with Lewis Maynard, they had been focused on music all their youth - they had played in many punk rock and hardcore bands, but it seemed they would never make it further than South East London.
By the time they were 30, their motivation began to wane. Music was just an occasional weekend activity. When friends asked Nick Buxton if he would be interested in starting another band, he wondered: do I really want to try this again? Random weekends became regular and they started rehearsing in Lewis Maynard's mum's tiny garage.
Bringing in Florence Shaw, who had no stage experience, was not so much a deliberate decision as a coincidence. The illustrator and art teacher met Tom Dowse for a drink at the end of 2017 before an exhibition by sculptor Bill Barrett. They had known each other since their studies at the Royal College of Art. Florence Shaw asked what Tom had been up to lately. He pulled out his phone and played one of the demos of his new band. Florence Shaw was impressed. The colourless sound of her voice against the gloomy music suddenly seemed to fit the guitarist, all the coordinates seemed to fall into place. It took Florence a few more months to be convinced.
Although Florence has never tried to sing herself, music has always played an important role in her life. Her father was a musician and the family garage is full of guitars and synthesizers that she "tried out" as a child. Listening to British bands such as The Smiths, British Sea Power and The Specials, she grew into a teenager who didn't want to take her headphones off. However, music took a back seat when she started studying art.
It was Florence Shaw's stage fright that seems to have given a new impetus to three intelligent musicians who were beginning to question their careers in music. Out of boredom, they formed Dry Cleaning and were immediately welcomed into the prestigious 4AD family as soon as the latter saw the band live.
"This young London quartet attracts effortlessly and is incredibly British, with an ace card in Florence Shaw, a vocalist who rarely sings, but delivers her lyrics as if she's apathetically talking on the phone." -
They have expanded their tastes and expressions along the way. On their debut recordings, Dry Cleaning tried their hand at post-punk, but on their first album, New Long Leg (2021), a whole new bundle of influences can be heard: psychedelia, dreamy pop, and even 1980s metal. The band also looked for a new sound on the later Stumpwork (2022) and last year's Swampy EP.
