Drenge - Never Awake

Last week prompted a strange sight - nice “DERBYSHIIIIRE” boys Drenge soundtracking a ‘Clockwork Orange’-style riot, a blood frenzy that took no prisoners. Brutish force is definitely in the Loveless brothers’ rule-book, but their ‘We Can Do What We Want’ video took ugly gang mentality to an extreme. Travel to any of the duo’s shows and the scene’s a little more forgiving, but then again, it’s difficult to think of a UK band who pummel the senses quite like these two.

Case in point: ‘Never Awake’. A murky, sludge-grinding highlight from second LP ‘Undertow’, it’s both the most momentum-building track Drenge have put their name to, and also the muckiest, most determinedly rough cut in their locker. A bit like trudging through mud in a dirt race, it’s a blink-and-you-missed-it thrasher built out of second-hand, knackered parts. As raw as they come, it’s Drenge doing brute force the right way.