Review & Photos: Nate Rose
If there’s a formula for controlled chaos, Death From Above 1979 have it patented. The Canadian duo returned to Australia for the first time in 14 years bringing along local favourites DZ Deathrays and kicking off the tour in Brisbane Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their debut LP You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine.
It’s a crisp Tuesday night and The Triffid was beaming with anticipation by the time DZ Deathrays hit the stage.
With the room close to full they turned the place into a full-blown punk-rock pressure cooker as one of Brisbane’s finest lit the fuse for an explosive Tuesday night. Armed with blistering riffs and thunderous drumming, The DZ lads ripped through a no-nonsense set that reminded everyone why they’ve been a staple of the Aussie rock scene for over a decade. Opening with “Paranoid” they set the tone for what’s to follow. Tracks like fan favourites “Gina Works at Hearts” and “Bloody Lovely” had the pit churning early and the thick crowd singing along to every word.
The trio were firing on all cylinders, Shane Parsons’ gritty vocals and fuzzed-out riffs were on point, while Simon Ridley on drums played like a man possessed and Lachlan Ewbank brought the steeze on guitar.
“Without Death From Above there would be no us” Proclaimed Parsons following with tracks “Like no other” and closing with “Shred of Summer”, Dz Deathrays signature brand of noisy, fuzzy chaos proved the perfect primer for the carnage to come.
Then came the main event. Death From Above 1979 took to the stage like a two-man wrecking crew, with Sebastien Grainger and Jesse F. Keeler demonstrating exactly why their chemistry remains unmatched. The bass was filthy, the drums relentless, and the energy—wild. From the first notes of “Turn it Out,” the crowd was all in.
The setlist was a riotous ride across their discography— with the likes of “Freeze Me” and “Going Steady xx ” sitting comfortably alongside certified bangers like “Trainwreck 1979” and the song that turned me onto these guys “Blood on our hands” from their breakthrough debut album that this tour is celebrating You’re a woman, I’m a Machine.
Grainger’s vocals were ferocious and unfiltered, while Keeler’s distorted bass lines felt like seismic events on tracks like “Nomad” and “Romantic Rights” shaking the floor and the ribcages of everyone in the packed venue.
For a two piece DFA1979 hold a huge wall of sound that could flatten buildings and the crowd were loving every little bit of it. Closing out the show with the chaotic “Dead Womb”
It’s been 14 years too long between visits to our shores which made the first night of this tour something special to witness.
The Triffid’s intimate setting amplified the experience, No frills chaotic catharsis if you will — just two guys tearing it up like the world was ending and they were trying to make it go out with a bang and if this was the end of the world there is no place I would rather have been.
– GALLERY –
