Dignan Porch

Tendrils is the debut album from London four-piece Dignan Porch. Clocking in at a refreshingly short 26.9 minutes, this album demands repeated listens and not just due to its snappiness. Its gorgeously laid back, lo-fi bedroom-pop sheen will draw you in again and again.

For Fans Of: Skygreen Leopards, The Warlocks, Veronica Falls.


Some may accuse the album of being devoid of standouts and if that seems so then it’s simply because the whole record flows so quickly and so well as one. In today’s iPod culture with an attention span set to shuffle perhaps an album of this length has more of a shot at being digested as a whole? We doubt it but it’s a nice thought!

The vocals on Tendrils that may at first seem forgettable are, upon further listens, perfectly concise as is the entire album. If we had to pick one thing to champion with Dignan Porch then it’d have to be the guitar sounds. The combination of strummed acoustic and understated psych-tinged electric gets us every time.

For your sampling pleasure find ‘Like It Was’ and the band’s debut single ‘On A Ride’ from a previous post. Surely a contender for debut of the year you can pick up Tendrils digitally now and pre-order the more tangible formats from Rough Trade. - Music Mule

London's Dignan Porch is, by its own description, a "new band", but they've already got a few great bedroom-garage tracks on their MySpace, presumably selections from the forthcoming 10-track debut LP they hint at in a blog post. Have a listen to the jangly guitars and group-sing verses of the Pavement-y "Two of Us". - Pitchfork

"As You Were" is the first we've heard from London bedroom pop project Dignan Porch since last summer's "Two of Us". It's got a lo-fi jangle and a sad little drone line winding through to match the overlapping voices, and it comes from Dignan Porch's upcoming album Tendrils, which is due March 30 on Captured Tracks.
- Pitchfork

Rob McCallum chats with Joe Walsh from Dignan Porch before their show at this weeks Land of Kings Festival



After it seemed you couldn’t go five minutes without hearing about the next hip lo-fi outfit fresh out of Brooklyn, UK-based DIY bands are finally getting the attention they deserve. After recording their debut record in his bedroom, Dignan Porch guitarist and singer Joe Walsh rounded up a group of friends and family (literally) to take Tendril's lo-fi psych pop on the road. We wanted to know more.

Check out the video for Dignan Porch’s new single ‘On a Ride’ (out now on Captured Tracks) below. In true DIY style, the video is shot by DP drummer Philippa Walsh.


Rob: Where do you guys come from musically?

Joe: I play in a band called Artefacts for Space Travel with my brother Sam who are on Stolen (Recordings). I just wanted to do something a bit more stripped back, so I recorded some stuff on my 8-track. I finally got the guts to put it on MySpace and straight away people seemed to like it. I wish I’d done it earlier.

How has the response been to your shows so far?

Great. The shows are quite different to the recordings: when we play we’re more like an indie band from the '90s – something dreamy, like a Galaxie 500 sound. It sounds fuller; we get quite jammy and drag songs out. That’s the beauty of playing live; you can be unpredictable.

Things seem to be happening quite quickly for you.

Yeah it all happened very quickly, but that suits us as the importance for me is documenting it and getting it out. I think people are getting it. I didn’t want it to be written off, like I’d put no effort into it; a lot of effort goes into the song writing. The way it's recorded just suits the music.

It seems to be a big moment for DIY bands.

I’ve been doing it that way since I’ve been into music, so I’m just used to working like that. But I know what you mean – it seems like people in London are spoilt for choice. I guess it’s just a reaction to all the over-produced shit that you hear on the radio.

Do you feel the support network for DIY bands is as strong here as it is in the States?

It’s a lot cheaper to release records in the States. At SXSW last year there was a bar called Miss B's with bands like Woods, Finally Punk and Blank Dogs playing – it all seemed like a nice community. I'm trying to make friends with bands I like, for instance bands like Prize Pets and Colours. After gigs we try and arrange to play together. So we're trying to help each other out.

All you're tracks are quite short – any reason?

I just end it there because I think that’s enough. If I'm going to make up another chorus or verse, I'll be forcing it and it's best to stop before you're forcing yourself to go any further. I will make longer songs if they naturally seem like they're meant to be long, but I don’t want to force myself to write more.

You played with Veronica Falls at the Lock Tavern...

Yeah we just did it with Phillipa, Ben and I. That’s a good thing about this band; we don’t mind taking people out, because we still think it sounds good. Some of the songs on the record are just guitar and singing, so it’s just adapting it

Do you think that’s a testament to the DIY approach?

Yeah, when you watch someone like Chris Knox (Tall Dwarves), he’d just do a gig on his own. I saw a video on YouTube where his guitar broke and he just sang. You've got to be ready as something always goes wrong at gigs. Rather than get pissed off, make the most of it. The crowd will always be entertained if you're doing something interesting.

What are the future plans for Dignan Porch?

I want to have a couple of really strong singles. Work out how we're going to record the band so it sounds authentic, but always moving quickly because we don't really like hanging around. If you think about things too much you just lose the initial spark.

Do you think that keeps an honest element to the sound?

Yeah that’s very important to the sound; I think that the number one important thing is honesty. - Spoonfed

Slightly tussled London quartet Dignan Porch have created an unassuming, but addictive rainy-day bedroom-pop gem with Tendrils, their full-length debut. The hushed, layered, hazy and downcast psychedelia might remind you of various early New Zealand pop crews of the Flying Nun sort (slowed to 1/4 speed). Or you could go back to the UK and talk about Sarah Records, though there’s often something weirder woven into the compositions. The 13 songs are brief — the longest is under three minutes, a handful shorter than two — but they work together as a larger patchwork. If you loosen the threads a bit, “Like It Was” stands out nicely on its own. Speaking of: The collection’s liner note present a stitched love letter vignette that works song titles and lyrics into a story. “Like It Was”‘s moment:

I’m going to call her up and make it like it was. And when she answers her voice will be curious. All our conversations will be spontaneous. It’s fortunate that we have worken up and remembered to love each other. And when I think of her I won’t be jealous, I’ll make everything just like it was.


Dignan Porch – “Like It Was”
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And, this is “As You Were,” which is accompanied by the following lyrical snippet: “Go away and Google the symptoms. Read aloud what the virtual doctor says. And carry on as you were.” - Stereogum

Label: Captured Tracks Release date: 30/03/10 Link: Myspace It may come as a surprise to learn that after listening to the hazy, lazy, lo-fi psychedelia of Dignan Porchâ??s debut album Tendrils, that this laid back quartet hail not from Portland, Oregon or a commune in upstate New York, but in fact from south London suburb Tooting, an area known more for itâ??s Madras than itâ??s hippy credentials. Created entirely in a bedroom in SW16, exactly how they came about developing their trippy style is a bit of a mystery (perhaps they ate too many Calipos at Tooting Lido in their childhood?) but it is this strange dichotomy of origin and art that makes Tendrils such a joy to behold. It will come as no surprise however to hear that this record is a little reminiscent at times of the The Polyphonic Spree's more tender moments, and Dignan Porch's effort certainly creates a similar ambience. Yet, it is the charmingly homemade and slightly off kilter rootsy feel that runs throughout the record that sets them apart from their more polished American cousins. With tracks titles like â??Flowers In Mayâ??, â??We Sat On The Hillâ?? and obscure interlude â??I Am The Hedgeâ?? (Yes, of course you are dear, now put that spliff down...), the album is steeped in nature and the idyllic, made even more surprising given the bandâ??s urban base. Stand out track and single â??As You Wereâ?? is by far the most commercial sound they produce on the album and is a catchy little number. Beyond this, it sounds rather too familiar, in fact it is exactly what Scandinavian popstrels Iâ??m From Barcelona would sound like if they had spent the past week on a diazepam fuelled bender. Itâ??s charming and cutesy, just the right side of saccharin. Album highlight â??A Personâ?? sees Dignan Porch defuzz their feedback and tighten up their guitars, resulting in a delicate and tender slice of stripped down acoustica standing out like a beacon of crisp definition floating in a sea of murky distortion. The results are truly lovely. Muffled lo-fi guitars snuggle up comfortably with drawling and sleepy vocals throughout the album with each track seeming to melt seamlessly into the next. In fact, at a miniscule total length of 26 minutes, by the time you have tuned in and dropped out to the comatose speed of the record, itâ??s over. Lyrics are somewhat lost in the lazy falsetto drawl, so you never quite catch what they are singing about, which may be an irrelevance since perhaps it is a feeling (a vibe, maaan) rather than a direct statement that they are trying to project. At a time when dead-eyed plastic pop stars and money hungry media moguls seem deadset on destroying all that is creative and original in the music industry, Tendrils is an oasis of lo-fi calm and wonder amid a wilderness of tired samples and over production. A breath of fresh South London air. In the words of counter culture guru Ken Kesey â??Youâ??re either on the bus or off the busâ?? and in the case of Dignan Porch I am reloading my Oyster card as we speak. - The 4O5

Remember guitars? Bands seem not super stoked on them these days. We were talking to a friend last night and he was asking us where all the young kids in inexpensive jeans who are kind of assholes but not really are. We didn’t really have an answer. Some of them probably did that chillwave thing, other ones are probably learning about analog synths or Dilla or something. Really though, guitars just never left entirely, as evidenced by Dignan Porch‘s “Yards,” which is pretty positive proof that it’s still worth making simple jams with basic rock instruments and riffs so perfect they feel timeless. Dignan Porch’s new EP Deluded is out March 8th on Captured Tracks.
- The Fader