Dry the River
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Stratford, East London , United Kingdom |
| Products | Alternative rock music, albums, EPs, singles |
Dry the River was an alternative rock ensemble originating from Stratford, East London, established in 2009.
History
Their inaugural headline performance took place at the Luminaire venue in Kilburn, London, during April 2010. The group embarked on extensive tours throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, and North America. After issuing two EPs and receiving early airplay support from BBC Introducing, they secured a contract with Transgressive Records in 2010. Their first single, "No Rest," debuted in March 2011. That same year, they appeared at prominent UK music festivals such as Glastonbury Festival, The Great Escape Festival, the iTunes Festival, Latitude Festival, Green Man Festival, Bestival, and the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
In March 2011, Dry the River partnered with the Yellow Bird Project to create a charity t-shirt benefiting Asylum Aid, an organization offering legal assistance to asylum seekers within the UK. To promote this initiative, they produced a four-part video series entitled the "YBP Wilderness Sessions."
The band was included on the longlist for BBC's Sound of 2012 poll. In The Guardian, journalist Paul Lester drew comparisons between them and fellow London-based band Mumford & Sons, highlighting their "catchy semi-acoustic tunes."
Their first full-length album, Shallow Bed, was recorded in Bridgeport, Connecticut with producer Peter Katis, recognized for his work with Interpol and The National. The album was released in the UK on 5 March 2012 and later in the US on 17 April 2012.
During 2012, they performed at various European festivals including Roskilde Festival, Underage Festival, and Open'er Festival, as well as North American events such as Sasquatch Festival, Lollapalooza 2012, and the Austin City Limits Festival. In November of that year, Dry the River introduced Mammoth, a limited edition beer brewed in collaboration with Signature Brew. An acoustic rendition of Shallow Bed was made available digitally on 17 December 2012.
Their sophomore album was tracked in Iceland early in 2013 and released under the title Alarms in the Heart on 25 August 2014, accompanied by a supporting tour across the UK. Violinist William Harvey departed from the band in February 2014 to focus on other ventures. In April 2015, they contributed a cover of Metric's "Satellite Mind" for the compilation album Good People Rock.
After taking part in Disaronno's Terrace Party event, the band revealed intentions to start working on a third studio album, with lead vocalist Peter Liddle crafting new songs. Nevertheless, Dry the River announced their disbandment on 12 November 2015 alongside releasing their final EP titled Hooves of Doubt.
In 2018, Peter Liddle began his solo career under the moniker PD Liddle, unveiling his debut EP named Casual Labour.
Current
- Peter Liddle – lead vocals, guitar, tenor horn
- Matthew Taylor – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
- Scott Miller – bass guitar, percussion, backing vocals
- Jon Warren – drums and percussion
Former
- Will Harvey – violin, viola, mandolin, keyboards
Studio albums
- Shallow Bed (released 5 March 2012)
- Alarms in the Heart (released 25 August 2014)
Extended plays
- The Chambers and the Valves (2009)
- Bible Belt (2010)
- Weights & Measures (2011)
- Shallow Bed (Acoustic) (2012)
- Hooves of Doubt (2015)
Singles
- "New Ceremony" (7 March 2011)
- "No Rest" (17 June 2011)
- "Weights and Measures" (11 November 2011)
- "The Chambers and the Valves" (24 February 2012)
- "New Ceremony" (16 April 2012)
- "Zaytoun" (2013)
- "Gethsemane" (June 2014)
- "Everlasting Light" (July 2014)
- "Rollerskate" (January 2015)