Dexters – Think Tank Newcastle-upon-Tyne 7/11.2014

There’s a scene emerging, a wave of brash, indie guitar bands with big anthemic choruses and two of the best of those bands were playing in Newcastle – IC1s and Dexters. It seems that the press and especially radio have yet to pick up on this, which is shame, but then maybe that’s a good thing because these bands are working their way from the bottom up, no hype, just good old rock ‘n’ roll touring and hard work.

Dexters are a young five-piece from London, de-rigeur floppy fringes and tight jeans, they stride onto the stage and create a wall of noise before lead singer Tom springs onto the stage and encourages the crowd forward, who are only too willing to oblige. The band’s stage presence belies their ages, some bands just have it, most learn their craft by playing constantly, practise can make perfect, but it’s immediately apparent that here are a band who have played many gigs and have enjoyed every moment. No shoegazing or ambivalence, if indie bands are allowed to rock  – they ‘rocked’! I imagine they were inspired by The Killers and The Libertines, but they are far from derivative.

Opening with their latest single ‘Cloudfest’ which features the chorus “if you don’t feel inspired, you must be dead inside” that sets the vibe for the remainder of the gig, uplifting and positive, next up is ‘They’re Blind’ before going into ‘Recover’ a surprising choice so early on as that seemed to be their best known song and crowd favourite. Wanna know what the band are like? Check out the video for that track, sums ‘em up perfectly. We then have a new track, the first of two tonight, the second of which seemed particularly infectious with its unusual drum fill. The rest of the set was taken from their debut album ‘Shimmer Gold’ including previous singles ‘The Hard Way’ and ‘Start To Run’, the excellent ‘Can’t Sleep’ and ending with ‘Oceans’ the perfect singalonga finale.

No encore, but a gig in which their enthusiasm was as infectious as their choruses. They are a band that belong on a festival stage, surely it’s only a matter of time before the media and joe public catch on. 8.8/10
Ray Nicholl

Live photos: Elaina Thompson

Dexters ‘Recover’

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