Dry Cleaning previewed new album and wrapped up their tour in Brooklyn (pics, review, setlist)

Dry Cleaning announced their new album, Secret Love, this week, and when they did they only had one show left on their North American tour — Brooklyn club Warsaw — which seemed well-planned. When frontperson Florence Shaw mentioned to the crowd that they had a new album on the way it was loudly clear that everyone in the room had already heard the news.

Secret Love was produced by Cate Le Bon and single “Hit My Head All Day” definitely feels different than anything Dry Cleaning had done before, and that seemed to be the case for all the songs from the album they played on Thursday night. We got to hear four new ones, and the single was the standout. That may just have been because I’ve listened to the song a dozen times this week, but it had Florence playing an electronic drum pad as the rest of the band jammed out the songs’s elastic, underwater funk backing.

There was also the chugging, droney “My Soul / Half Pint,” the very dubby “Evil Evil Idiot,” and “Joy,” which with its actual pop chorus feels like a shoo-in for second single. I will have to wait for the record to figure out what Shaw was sprechgesanging about though.

Looking very Commedia dell’arte decked out in pantaloons and a flowing top, Shaw is a little more fashion-forward than the last time I saw Dry Cleaning a few years back, but the band still come off as if Suicidal Tendencies asked a shy drama teacher to fill in for Mike Muir at the last second. Bassist Lewis Maynard is a good hair flipper, guitarist Tom Dowse threw shapes while laying down post-punk and nu-metal noise from his instrument, and drummer Nick Buxton bashed away, especially on older songs like “Gary Ashby,” “Hot Penny Day,” “Scratchcard Lanyard,” and “Magic of Meghan.” All while Shaw played it cool and very dry, as usual. There is also a keyboardist on this tour, tucked away in the back who added a lot to the new material especially. Fun show.

Experimental hip hop duo Infinity Knives & Brian Ennal opened the show and photos from the whole night by Ellen Qbertplaya, plus the setlist and a couple of fan-shot videos, are in this post.

Secret Love is out January 9 via 4AD.

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

photo by Ellen Qbertplaya

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

Dry Cleaning (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)

photo by Ellen Qbertplaya

photo by Ellen Qbertplaya

photo by Ellen Qbertplaya

SETLIST: Dry Cleaning @ Warsaw 10/2/2025
Strong Feelings
Jam After School
Gary Ashby
-My Soul / Half Pint
Hot Penny Day
Her Hippo
-Evil Evil Idiot
Viking Hair
Don’t Press Me
-Joy
Drivers Story
-Hit My Head
Scratchcard
Magic Of Meghan