Review: DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979

22 Apr

Live at The Triffid - Brisbane
With Special Guests DZ DEATHRAYS

Written by: Tom Wilson
Photos by: Tracy McLaughlan

Opening tonight are Brisbane rock trio DZ DEATHRAYS, who are quick to work up a sweat in spite of the Triffid’s famously brisk air con. Almost supernaturally tight, it’s little wonder how they have carved a reputation as a fantastic live band.

Like People’s chorus is absolutely massive, and the performance could only have been improved with an appearance by OG Wiggle Murray Cook who featured in the music video. They’re pretty stoked to be here as, they tell us, they simply wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for a band like DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979, and from the response they get from the sold-out crowd, we’re pretty happy that they’re here too.

DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 ask the important question: what would it sound like if a rock band’s rhythm section got up and fucked off? Both of tonight’s stellar performances are testament to the importance of talent. If you’ve got enough of it, it doesn’t matter how many members or instruments you have. As DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 take to the stage and start hammering out Turn it Out, Sebastien Grainger makes playing drums and singing his heart out look as easy as falling off a log, and we are mesmerised by the bass chops of Jesse F. Keeler as his fingers dance up and down the fret board, flooding the hangar-like interior of The Triffid with a fuzzed-out bass tone the size of a weather formation. More than twenty years on, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine remains a stellar record with absolutely zero fat on it. Every track is a screamer, and every head in the room is at the mercy of Sebastien’s snare. Black History Month builds to an epic conclusion, and Little Girl’s groove is undeniable. They close out the record with the funky Sexy Results, and start hammering out some fan favourites from their catalogue. A punter yells out for them to cover Dragula by ROB ZOMBIE, and Sebastien hears it as Dracula by RUFUS WAINWRIGHT, giving us a few bars of a song that, he assures us, doesn’t actually exist (it still sounded pretty good though).

They leave the stage, and the sold-out Triffid starts the traditional “one more song” chant. We cheer as DFA return, and Sebastien takes to the mic. “You could have asked for more songs,” he tells us. Apparently we could have asked for twelve! Anyway, because they’re super nice, they’re going to play two songs. A green wash bathes the stage as Right On, Frankenstein! kicks into overdrive, delivering a set highlight, before Dead Womb brings the show to a close, and they leave with a wave. An absolutely stunning night of live music.