Drenge debuts in Baltimore to enthusiastic welcome
Baltimore’s Metro Gallery was standing room only as the night’s opening act gave way to Drenge, the duo-turned-trio British punk rock group performing in Baltimore for the first time.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the mighty Drenge,” the opening guitarist to the warm-up act declared as he stabbed the air with his guitar in the direction of the two brothers, Rory and Eoin Loveless, who made up the core of the band before being joined recently by bassist Rob Graham.
For the hour leading up to their June 15 performance, they had sat at the back of the sprawling performance theater, separated from the stage by a crowd of fans as they watched the tribute almost impassively. But at the guitarist’s invitation they took to the stage to wild cheers.
“I just downloaded their album a couple months ago, and I knew I had to see them here,” 27-year-old Jeff Crevoiserat told me. It was actually their first album that got him hooked, rather then the second production Undertow that’s enjoyed greater critical acclaim. And while Drenge is touring mainly to support their latest hits in Undertow, they included a smattering of songs from their self-titled album Drenge, playing a few crowd-pleasers like “Gun Crazy,” and “Bye Bye Bao Bao.”
Baltimore is the last stop on the U.S. leg of the group’s tour this summer. Having visited nine American cities in 14 days, the group is now heading to the Netherlands and then Britain to wrap up their touring blitz at London’s Hyde Park.
William Dahl is a recent graduate of The College of William and Mary, where he majored in Government and studied abroad in La Plata, Argentina. He has worked for community foundations in Argentina and Miami dedicated to community engagement and prosecution for human rights abuses. A native Virginian, he moved to Baltimore in 2013 to join a financial research firm, where he enjoys being able to write on the side.