Deap Vally at Night & Day Cafe in Manchester review

Image: Deap Vally

The last thing you'd expect to hear from a Californian making a flying visit to Manchester would be complaints about the heat, right? Deap Vally lead singer Lindsey Troy was as surprised as anyone as the sweat dripped off the walls in a stifling Night & Day Cafe, packed to capacity with a raucous crowd who had come to witness a frighteningly good live act.

It's totally plausible that the Los Angeles duo were destined to be rockstars. Every element of their performance was drenched in the attributes of a bygone era. An era where rock'n'roll excess was the norm and stark contrast to the slacker stereotype which has become prevalent in the majority of alternative music.

Deap Vally tickets

To begin with, both outfit choices were wondrous; Troy in a multicoloured playsuit and drummer Julie Edwards in leopard print, both adorning numerous tassels. Wild hair, drink chugging and the singer's use of the phrase "shit dawg" only added to the histrionics.

Appearances aside, Deap Vally play loud. Seriously loud. There was no holding back, no attempt to look coolly uninterested. Instead they tore right into an opening salvo that included 'Gonna Make My Own Money' (listen above) and 'Walk Of Shame' and continued with the same vigour for well over an hour.

In that time Deap Vally dipped heavily into their 2013 album Sistrionix while also debuting newer material such as the anthemic stomper 'Baby I Call Hell' and the feminist war cry 'Smile More' (listen below). The latter is their latest single and, as well as being a grungy, blues rock gem, it playfully spits out lyrics like "I am not ashamed of my sex life/although I wish it were better/I am not ashamed I am no one's wife/although the idea does sound kind of nice".

Girl power was certainly a major component of the between song patter from Lindsey Troy, revealing that her bandmate had only recently "squeezed a human out of her body" and invited the audience to applaud her in still being able to smash shit out of a drumkit to which all duly obliged.

As the set drew towards a close Troy threw herself off the stage in death defying fashion into the arms of the baying crowd whilst feedback buzzed and swarmed the room. Landing barefoot on the stage she slung her guitar back around her neck to finish the set with a flourish, before the pair left the stage for the first time.

They returned to cheers and cries for more and gave the crowd exactly what they asked before finishing emphatically with 'Royal Jelly' from their forthcoming album Femijism - due for release in September.

Following that, the duo return to the UK for another short tour and with new material to play the excitement around these dates will be massive. With such an explosive onstage presence and the tunes to back it up, the Vally may be Deap but the appeal is certainly wide.

Like this? Check out Deap Vally bring 'Femijism' to additional UK dates in September