Dry CleaningSomething Kind of Wonderful stage, Friday★★★★☆This morning a sandwich changed the life of Dry Cleaning singer Florence Shaw. She drops the bite-sized bombshell towards the end of the London post-punk band’s treat of an early afternoon set at All Together Now. “The chicken and stuffing from Circle K,” the former arts lecturer explains as the group wend their way through 60 minutes of agreeably digressive meditations on the pain of being a thoughtful person in the dog days of late-stage capitalism. “Very nice,” she adds, going all in on the lunch-themed anecdote as it is clear nobody is going to stop her. “The one from the fridge.”[ All Together Now festival 2026: Stage times, ticket information, how to get there and moreOpens in new window ]Dry Cleaning have a formula, but it’s a good one. Singing from beneath her fringe, Shaw delivers droll spoken word ruminations – her lyrics often surreal (Cruise Ship Designer), sometimes devastatingly heartfelt (My Soul/Half Pint) – while her blokey bandmates conjure the uneasy spirits of early 1980s new-wave rock. It isn’t quite like attending a poetry circle while someone next door blasts Joy Division – but it’s not entirely unlike it either.Still, when they want to be they can be very funny, as Shaw demonstrates at All Together Now as she plunges into the wry Meghan Markle homage, Magic of Meghan. Are lyrics such as “I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly” to be taken ironically? Possibly: Shaw’s delivery is so deadpan it’s hard to say either way.They also do a solid line in straightforward shin-kicking rock, as proved by closer Hit My Head All Day, which bounces along on a hypnotic chorus and rambunctious guitars from Tom Dowse.It’s just the sort of cathartic singalong you want at the end of an intense set of spoken word punk rock. Above all, it is proof that when it comes to blending poetry and indie pop, Dry Cleaning are the chat’s pyjamas – and this gig is a godsend for All Together Now attendees who want to kick off the weekend with a flourish.