NEWS: Duds @ The Cluny

It’s barely been two months since Duds showcased their explosive and eclectic brand of post punk before a packed out Cumberland Arms. Short, sharp and utterly devoid of flab, their performance at September’s Endless Window was that of a band with unshakeable confidence in their craft, so it comes as little surprise that they’ve secured themselves a quickfire follow-up.

Now with a debut album under their belts, the Manchester-based seven-piece return to the Ouseburn with a date at The Cluny on Friday 19^th January, having also become the first British band to release a record through Castle Face, the go-to garage imprint home to the likes of Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall among others. Listening to Of A Nature Or Degree, it’s easy to hear what caught label lynchpin John Dwyer’s ear. Driven by a frantic, nervous energy, its numbers fuse the fabled Factory sound with their own distinct brand of invention, bustling with spiky, razor-edged guitars and frenzied, multifaceted percussion. For all the jazzy elements, the overriding sense is one of minimalism; its disparate stands coalesced into tight, teeming bundles which only sporadically pass the two-minute mark. A sprint, not a marathon, then, yet witnesses to their previous visit will attest to just how electric those bursts can be.