I can easily say that Dream Wife on 18th October at The Wardrobe was the most fun I have ever had at a gig. Dream Wife were supported by The Boxing and Dead Naked Hippies who both did a good job of getting the audience warmed up, ready for the main act.
Dream wife were incredibly cool, as per usual, when they burst out on stage. Their eye-catching and individual styles shone through with lead singer Rakel Mjöll bouncing around the stage in navy blue tracksuit pants and a yellow ruche crop top. By the time they played “Fire” the energy in the room was electric with people jumping, dancing and singing along throughout. Initially seeming a little overwhelmed by the response, Dream Wife were clearly enjoying the enthusiasm of the crowd.
Mid-way through, the band paused to talk to the audience. Often when bands do this it can feel a little scripted and awkward, but Dream Wife seems to have an amazing connection with their fans. Rakel said that she wanted to talk about some tattoos that they had heard about. At this point, she was interrupted by a fan screaming about a tattoo that she had just gotten. Turns out that she had previously asked Bella Podpadec, the bassist, to draw a design on her hand, which she had then subsequently tattooed. Bella clearly remembered her and asked to see the tattoo- it was all very sweet and the band seemed genuinely surprised and moved. They later even pointed out a fan that they recognised from an Instagram t-shirt competition. The way they joked with the audience about fashion, tattoos and their art degrees made it clear that these are genuinely down-to-earth girls who were just happy to be having a good time on stage, sharing their music with their fans.
Rakel then went on to talk about some photos that the band had been sent by two girls who had been victims of sexual assault. The girls had gotten tattoos of one of the band’s lyrics; “I am not my body, I am somebody”. Rakel explained how much it meant to the band that their lyrics were able to give other women strength and a sense of self-worth. The powerful statement that the band made was met with cheers from the audience, which was largely made up of women. The band then went on to play somebody accompanied by applause, shouting and enthusiastic dancing from the crowd! Looking around the room, I could see pure joy and pride on the face of every woman there.
The real climax of the gig came during “FUU”, when Rakel shouted to the girls in the crowd to come to the front, which led to some girls (myself included) ending up on the stage, dancing with the band! There was a general feeling of female empowerment and girls having fun and supporting each other. Bella Podpadec summed up the gig pretty well when she said, “shouting bitches from a stage with about 30 other women is probably one of the most empowering feelings ever!”
Katie O’Kelly
Photo Credit: honestlygold.com