Dredg

El Rey - August 27, 2009

Live Review and Photography by Alexis Roberts

Dredg and the Rx Bandits are currently on what they’re calling a co-headlining tour. Both of the bands have been around and building names for themselves for quite a while. The two bands play completely different types of music, yet, somehow mantaining a very similar fan base. The ska/reggae sounds of the RX Bandits may not, in theory be the best match for the bighearted, melodramatic shoegaze of Dredg, however the tour packed the El Rey two nights in a row, which says quite a bit about their choice to tour together. With the addition of As Tall as Lions as their opener on this particular leg of the tour, the Sunday night crowd was eclectic; to say the least… they were also rather young and clad in popular Warped Tour band tees.

As Tall as Lions opened the night with their poppy, upbeat and moderately good, moderately short set. Onlookers pressed up against the stage waiting for Dredg and RXB and acted like they were interested, for the most part, while they anticipated the main event.

On the first of the two night stint, Dredg were the first headliner. A lack of prior knowledge as to who would be headlining and when exact set times were, left breathing room on the lowest level of the El Rey floor that would fill in by the end of their set. However it allowed their most hardcore fans elbow room to sway and convulse without knocking anyone over. Prior to the summer of 2005, Dredg were still flying relatively below the radar. Their 2005 release, Catch Without Arms, was what really got people excited about them. Although their latest album which was well worth the 4 year wait, The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion  (an 18 track powerhouse with new experimentations, pounding percussion, prominent beats and intricate guitar work, as would be expected) was just released earlier this year, they gave a heaping portion of old favorites, including a very emotionally fueled and booming version of their first big single, "Bug Eyes."

To hear Dredg on the album is one thing but to experience them live is another, completely. You can only feel so much through ear buds or laptop speakers, but when they perform live, they are an all encompassing, all consuming, inescapable force. It’s is literally impossible to remove yourself from the music and all of its BIGNESS. Their songs are all so climactic and sonic that they wrap you up like a big blanket and stop you dead in your tracks.

Their live show was clearly as well thought out and carefully constructed as their long awaited follow up album. I know that it was a co-headlining show, but I feel it’s safe to say that Dredg stole the spotlight, on that night at least.