Dream Wife are loud, raw, and here to leave a message: Smash the gender norms and crash misogyny. Eager fans who wanted to assist the spread shouted along to their thought-provoking lyrics at their Musik&Frieden gig on November 18th.
Dream Wife formed when the all-female line-up met at art school in Brighton. Their logo, sharp and cutting like their punk sound, lights up in the back of the stage to bask the place in bright neon colours as the band storms the venue. They express the wish to stay with the crowd for an hour or two fittingly, chanting Spend The Night over and over. Their first self-titled LP has just been released this year, though the band doesn’t fall short to perform one of their earlier productions, Lolita, off their 2016 EP.
The sound and the stage performance all come together when punk meets arts like it does for Dream Wife. Flashing lights emulate the highs and rising actions of their songs, sharp bass and guitar lines add power to the charming vocals infused with an Icelandic accent. They can show a softer side, too, proven by the balladic Love Without Reason, a love letter addressed to the audience.
Singer Rakel Mjöll knows how to make the crowd feel included like few others do, anyway. Her words are paired with an unfaltering sassy look on her face, an effort to keep up eye contact, engagement through conversation and little anecdotes throughout the set. When the strings to Somebody sound, she expresses her full capability of power: Rising to the highest edge of the stage, she repeats an ode to individuality: “I am not my body – I am Somebody.”
The fans realise, and join in on her ecstasy.
Demanding as this song was, Dream Wife are far from exhaustion. During the extended instrumental intro of F.U.U., the band shows they cannot only craft biting texts, but an innovative, garage rock-influenced sound that shines with energy all by itself.
Fever Dream, who made the opening act with her Icelandic hip-hop songs, jumps onto the stage to rap alongside Mjöll, bringing empowerment and reclamation to the forefront.
The night ends with the remaining two songs off of Dream Wife, Hey Heartbreaker and Let’s Make Out. Though eager to play more, the band has gone through their entire discography. Another surprise awaits: Mjöll assures they will soon be back with a second album.
