With the old adage that a band has a whole lifetime to create their debut album and just six months for the second on their minds, Sir Chloe bring Bristol I Am The Dog, their feral, maddening sophomore album. Seeming ready to ascend mere nobility and find themselves among pop rock royalty, Dana Foote takes her old-school crooning to the online generation.
Although Foote takes to the stage in the foppish trappings of the businessman – more streamlined than David Byrne’s ‘Stop Making Sense’ attire, but just as charmingly enchanting – it’s clear her audience are not just strapped in for another day at the office.
Starting the set with ‘Salivate’, Sir Chloe take a girl’s-gotta-eat attitude to their music as they serve up their just desserts. Foote is static – frantic, even – as she searches for an answer no one will give her. There’s something of the ‘80s pop star in her; something teetering on the verge of a breakdown. They may be an all-American band, but it’s clear Sir Chloe are more Twin Peaks than Friday Night Lights.
Having risen to prominence via the TikTok virality of songs like ‘Michelle’ and ‘July’, it’s easy to dismiss Sir Chloe as a pop culture flash-in-the-pan rather than an act to be taken seriously. While the band found their fame through the digital trial by fire, it’s clear there is something more to them that doesn’t translate to screen, especially when they’re backed by a stage presence many social media-savvy bands lack.
Despite the gothic, Bauhaus-esque influences on the record, there’s a surf-rock turn on the stage. Sir Chloe may write songs about loving like a woman with nothing to lose on ‘Center’ or ‘Sedona’, but Foote’s intense, almost untenable ability to tap into a masculine presence – a hauntingly male swagger – on songs like ‘Leash’, ‘Hooves’, and ‘Too Close’ creates an act that feels wholly like the real thing. Watch them live for something brooding, sultry, and consciously cool. There’s more to them than what’s online.
Daisy Kent – Music Photographer
Kate Jeffrie
Kate Jeffrie @katejeffrie
Role: Lead Writer / Interviewer
I review gigs, and interview bands and musicians.
Available For: Gig Reviews, band interviews
Qualification: I study English Literature at the University of Bristol.
First attended gig: The first gig I remember going to see was Lewis Watson when I was 13, at a pub a few towns over from where I lived. My friends and I all loved him, and I remember how shocked I was that someone I had on this pedestal could be stood on a stage just a few feet away, drinking a beer and playing guitar!
First gig reviewed: The first gig I ever reviewed was Palace at the O2 Academy Bristol. As a band I wasn’t particularly well acquainted with, it was a testament to how live music can bowl someone over, even when it’s coming from strangers.
Dream gig: My dad saw The Smiths on their first tour, and since they’re my favourite band, I think seeing them in an intimate venue would be a dream
Daisy Kent @daisylkent
Role: Photographer / Reviewer / Interviewer
Hi! I'm Daisy, and I'm a music photographer and digital creative. I also write live music reviews.
Qualifications: 2:1 in BA Photography: Editorial and Advertising at the University of Gloucestershire.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Gig Reviews, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots, Interviews and Touring
First attended gig: Mcfly at Westonbirt Arboretum, June 2009.
First gig shot: My first photo gig was The Stranglers at O2 Academy Bristol, in March 2019. My first writing and photo gig was Bastille at Marble Factory, in February 2022.
Dream gig: Taylor Swift, 100%. No doubt.