NME’s Girls To The Front: ARXX and Deep Tan bring bruising riffs and bewitching beats to The Shacklewell Arms

Brighton duo ARXX headlined last night’s Girls To The Front (Nov 27) with a showcase of bruising garage-rock meets country-punk. Good combo, right?

Support came from London trio Deep Tan who brought their brand of striking psych-tinged indie-rock to The Shacklewell Arms and left their own mark on infamous graffitied dressing room.

Celebrating the release of their recent single, ‘Air’ – which flits between languages and dimensions – the group entranced the early arrivers with their complex and addictive compositions.

Blending the ambient soundscapes of The xx and Warpaint’s knack to bring the obtuse into tight pop songs, Deep Tan’s sound is one that’ll linger for some time.

Plenty of ARXX fans got down early to peruse the band’s bespoke merch collection – featuring handmade badges, pins and vinyl sleeves, too. Here’s drummer Clara signing copies of their new EP ‘Wrong Girl, Honey’ for eager punters.

NME’s Rhian Daly manned the decks throughout the evening, dropping big bangers from Marika Hackman, Dream Wife, St Vincent and more to keep the crowd moving.

Lead singer Hannah lead the charge during the ARXX’s 30-minute set where they smashed through ‘Swallowed The Sun’ and ‘The Storm’ from their recently released EP, ‘Wrong Girl, Honey’.

Cuts from the duo’s debut EP ‘Daughters of Daughters’ went down a treat, with the country-stomper ‘Stuck To You’ and ex-bashing ‘Tired Of You’ showcasing the band’s versatility.

The band’s biggest hit to date, ‘My Iron Lung’, showcased both Hannah and Clara operating at full power, proving the rule that two members playing with such conviction and power can be louder than most.

After a revealing that their breakthrough year was made up of “roughly 50 gigs”, the band wrapped up their final of the year with the grimy, rollicking punk-rock monster ‘Master Of Device’. The hard work is paying off…