Show Review

Dredg is a band I’ve been following since I got into music, honestly. Their music lacks any sort of genre bounding definitions; they are in a class of their own. Truly, Dredg is one of those bands that define all around raw talent, energy, and innovation—and simultaneously carry the weight of visible indifference to their lack of broad appreciation. These guys are doing it because they visibly love it, and, unlike the vast majority of musical groups out there, stop at that. They don’t care about what they’re wearing, about who likes them, or about what genre they satisfy; and for that reason, they are quite simply one of my favorite bands of all time.

The last time I saw Dredg, it was in a small, terrible venue out in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on their Circa Survive tour. I was in a crowd of about 30 or 40 half-assed fans, mostly kids who probably had nothing better to do on a Friday night. Last night, in Denver, it was vastly different; the relatively small Bluebird Theatre was packed to the brim with kids ranging from death metal fanatics to emo dorks to indie snobs to high school football heroes. It seemed, the only thing the entire crowd had in common was their love for the headliner act.

Dredg has always been a band who encompasses a fusion of art and rock, and the band was hand selling custom pieces of art made by the band’s singer. I’ve always been fascinated with their eccentric art and imagery, and would expect a band like Dredg to use some sort of video interaction on stage—but they’re much more direct than that. Their guitarist coolly took the stage first, quietly setting up his equipment, and the rest of the band followed. A typewriter was set on a pedestal on the center stage, and, unexpected as ever, singer and front man Gavin Hayes randomly would type on it, eventually crumbling up whatever he wrote and tossing it casually into the crowd.

The band played a perfect mix of songs spanning mostly their last two releases, the highly acclaimed El Cielo and my personal favorite Catch Without Arms. I was astounded at their brilliant tightness; their drummer and bassist were as well knit as their singer and guitarist, who both painted the soundscapes of at least four people.

Overall, there were a few highlights. Notably, the songs where their drummer played the keyboard that was casually set up on a few equipment crates—WHILE drumming. I had seen this with their last tour, but to see him do it again was really impressive. I really also loved how they closed—singer Gavin said, amidst a wall of shrieking guitars and clashing cymbals and drums, “We’ll see you next year!” and bolted off the stage, while the other musicians continued playing. Then, their techs began taking apart the drummer’s drumset piece by piece, while he was playing; the drummer kept the beat going the whole time, eventually resorting to hammering his hands on the piano. I loved the intensity of all of the musicians throughout the set—and seeing the violinist and celloist from Judgment Day come out and play a few tracks with the band was a nice treat as well.

All in all, there’s a reason this theatre was packed completely—Dredg is one of those bands who simply play by their own rules, drawing fans who, on a macro level, do the same thing as well. I fully love this band and cannot wait for their next full length, the first since 2005, tentatively scheduled for release in March. If you ever have the opportunity, do everything you can to check out this band and listen to their music—regardless of your background. I assure you, disappointment is impossible.

review by Andrew Martin