Dog is Dead have come a long way since their school days together in Nottingham. This five piece have recently released their debut album All Our Favourite Stories and it is filled with soaring guitar rifts that echo the likes of Two Door Cinema Club and Bombay Bicycle Club. They are full of energy on stage and are bound to get you bobbing along to the effortlessly catchy guitar rifts.
What makes this band stand apart from others is their use of harmonies. They really make use of every single band member to create an extremely full sounding vocal. Brighton’s The Haunt was an incredibly intimate venue, which worked hugely in their favour, as it literally felt as if they filled the room with their harmonies. Another thing that sets them apart from others is the use of instruments; its not everyday you see an indie band with a saxophone. The way they use the sax sparingly makes it all the more interesting and surprising when they do.
The set had a particularly ‘young’ feel about it, so much so that I genuinely felt a little too old to be there. The whole gig felt as if it could have been held in a school hall. This feeling was not helped by the fact I was stood next to drummer Daniel Harvey’s Mum, who was dancing enthusiastically and screaming ‘Dan over here!’ throughout. However, this was such an endearing sight I couldn’t help but smile. She was clearly the proudest Mum on earth that night.
Stand out track of the evening was ‘River Jordan’ which the band announced was the one that crowds usually went ‘ape shit’ to. Brighton did not disappoint and lived up to the band’s expectation.
The gig itself though seemed incredibly short, over almost as suddenly as it began, leaving me feeling somewhat unfulfilled. Whilst their talent is undeniable I think that there is still a sense that they’re finding their feet. This however is just a case of a matter of time getting used to playing more and more headline sets. The performance wasn’t overly polished or professional but this should not be mistaken to mean that it was amateurish; rather it had a raw, youthful energy about it. The band clearly had a good rapport onstage with one another, which made them all the more enjoyable to watch. Saturday saw them epitomise the meaning of what it is to be ‘young’.
