After years of hard graft, DEADLETTER are finding their feet with a potent garage-post-punk mix.  

Words: Finlay Holden.
Photos: Sal Redpath.

For many bands, writing and performing is the easy part of being a creative, but getting people to take a first look is where things become difficult. For vocalist Zac Lawrence, drummer Alfie Husband and bassist George Ullyott, those two sides to their hobby became relevant at significantly different times. 

Having kicked about Yorkshire together as teenagers in punk outfit Mice On Mars, gigging in local pubs was how they discovered their passion. After moving to South London to indulge in the cultural capital, though, it became increasingly apparent that they needed a new mechanism to deliver on years of learning.

"We were 16 when we started our first band, and what we were doing was starting to wear a bit thin," Zac reflects. "Not only had we matured as human beings, but even more so as artists. That name became associated with a very specific moment in time for us: something raucous, something hectic, and perhaps something not taken as seriously as we would've liked. We took it upon ourselves to start a fresh slate with a new approach to music."

Although reinvention was the aim of the game, past experience was vital to sharpen the skills of stagecraft. Walking into a DEADLETTER show, you can quickly notice key traits that other groups have worked to focus in on; the relentless drive of Fontaine's D.C., the witty self-awareness of Viagra Boys, and the aptitude for commentary shared by Yard Act. Progressing forward with the tools they've made for themselves, this new entity is one armed to the teeth with performance chops.

"We were playing three or four gigs a week for three years, so it adds up to a lot of hours on stage trying to… not necessarily master your craft but trying to make people care, more than anything," George summarises. "That was always the task for us, to persuade just one person in the room. We've really honed that ability in for what we're doing now. The music took a very different route with the addition of the sax, and the six-piece now fits as this new thing."

The graft put in has given them an advantage despite their relocation, and the hard, long grind certainly permeates through the DEADLETTER discography, but it hasn't been a simple transition; moving into an overwhelming world with a gig a minute on every street corner has been, "humbling, I would say," George offers.

"It was hard work," Zac agrees. "We were all wearing rose-tinted glasses when we made the move. In reality, it was like; we're six months in, and there are more than three people at our shows; that's great! Having time to find yourself, to figure out who and what you are artistically – which we're still working out, by the way – is crucial. Different experiences shape you, and the way you live shapes you. 

"Ultimately, your output is a reflection of you and what you're doing. Through the urgency within our music, you can hear that we do work hard. We don't have all the time in the world to rehearse and write together, so when we do, it's got that immediacy, that 'let's make it happen now' feel to it."

Labouring 9-5 alongside sustaining an artistic endeavour is not a unique circumstance in this age, but it palpably adds some texture to DEADLETTER's output. The six band members may not live a life of glamour, but they've already collected enough stories to justify the hardship; spotting BTS pole-dancing next to them after performing at Paris Fashion Week is one such surreal encounter.

In climbing on up in the world, DEADLETTER have made a conscious effort to ditch some of the scrappiness of their youthful efforts in favour of a more polished strategy that respects the contributions of their increased membership. They don't diss the rawness of a live recording, though, and are trying to find that balance themselves while remaining realistic.

"What you're able to do in the studio can just be a matter of the circumstance you're in," Zac explains. "We haven't exactly got the money, the time, the resources to get an orchestra to play behind one of the songs. Perhaps one day we will, but right now, we've got to focus on what we're doing before we can bring anything superfluous into it."

It is the lyrics that add the final ingredient to this growing recipe of garage, post-punk goodness, and Zac evidently isn't shy to express his opinions on a wide range of topics, debuting with 'Good Old Days' two months into the pandemic and following it up with 'Fit For Work', musings on toxic nostalgia and governmental failings have since taken a backseat to something more ambiguous.

"One thing I absolutely love is reading when someone has completely interpreted it in the opposite way to how I've tried to lay it out," the frontman grins. "I like that; that's what art is. It's there to be interpreted, reinterpreted and misinterpreted. This modern-day thing of having to write a quote about everything we put out is bullshit; your ideas have already been hung out on a washing line before they even have a chance to be digested or grown into something new. It completely takes the essence of creativity away from it by having to explain yourself. Why should you?"

In that more implicit space, there is still room for variation. Big hit 'Binge' – a highlight from 2022's stellar debut EP, 'Heat!' – sneers less at overarching societal systems and instead pokes fun at human trends without insulting those who participate in them. "A lot of the things that I talk about lyrically are things which everyone is guilty of. I've made a point of pointing out that I'm guilty as charged, just as much as the next person," Zac admits, "but you can still comment on something which you find to be alarming or shocking even if you are one of the people who is somewhat responsible for it."

A fine, well-crafted track with detailed verses, sharp instrumentals and a catchy chorus, the track is a fine example of DEADLETTER's newfound capabilities. Having come together in "about 25 minutes", the concise songwriting process the band abide by means that anything without an immediate sense of directness and appeal goes back in the drawer for re-examination another day.

That drawer, it seems, must be full of scathing criticisms, but Zac refuses to accept any implication of a negative mindset: "If you take us as pessimistic, that's purely a result of the realism you're being faced with." Taking influence from John Cooper Clarke at a young age, the combination of gloomy topics and joyful atmospheres is one the group have all instilled into their musical input. "You can use levity to shine a light on something that is actually quite dark and miserable; it can be satisfying."

Timeless viewpoints aside, DEADLETTER try to collectively keep their heads down without taking too many notes on the landscape around them, preferring to develop and mature in their own lane. "If you're looking side to side, you're going to get caught up in what is going on around you," the singer clarifies. "Trends and even sounds. If you look backwards, that's no longer the present. You can't get caught up in the past because it's done; it's impossible to insert yourself back there. It's a philosophy I believe in; if you want to move forwards in an effective manner, you've got to look backwards to do so, not to your left or your right."

Looking forward for one brief moment, the band are beginning to enter album territory after the release of a few standalone singles in 2023. With successful headline tours across the UK under their belt, the resources for recording a full-length project are soon to be allocated. It's not been a straight road to this point, but George explains that the romanticism remains very much present. "We've been working towards a music career for 11 years, so another year doesn't matter to us that much. We'd be doing it whether we got paid or not."

Taken from the December 2023 / January 2024 issue of Dork.