DZ Deathrays claimed The Triffid as their party place (22 June) to celebrate the 10th birthday of 'Black Rat' for two nights running.
Making sure not miss support acts Mitch, Please and Concrete Surfers, I arrive well before doors open to find a bustling crowd in the beer garden and cotton slingers doing a roaring trade at the merch desk.Mitch, Please open the night almost gently for a few seconds at least before they pull on the handbrake to that nonsense and chuck a hard 180 that assaults our ears by glorious heavy steel strings driving their high-charged banger, 'Morris Mentum'. Mo-mentum it has!
The crowd is buzzing from the get-go. Kicking us in the chops some more is a barrage of guitars and drums, pumping out their hit single 'Neighbourhood Cat'. Yes, no pants Polly is at it again, cat print leotard and fishnets – yes she can!
Not only that, she has a vox-box that can give a sweet, soaring, melodic refrain and in an instant nosedive into aggressive growls that would scare the bejesus out of the faint-hearted.
We enjoy the roller coaster of vocal and instrumental twists and turns they dish up in the 9-song set list of interwoven pop/ hardcore punk and garage rock concoctions. Steve Reed (guitar) and Matt Sim (guitar) are shredding it up and Kayla Philp (drums) and Nick Bragg (bass) keep the rhythm and beats tight and heavy throughout the set.
New arrivals flow in and are joining the revelry. 'Rubbish' is played after Cooke deftly deflects unwarranted comments from a misogynistic twat in the crowd with true punk prowess, and 'All The Rage' is then played before the aggressive 'PolyGon Pit'. Cooke makes her way into the mosh pit, clears a space and incites a circle pit for this one!
Mitch, Please - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Ending on high with a finale banger I believe is 'Card Party', Mitch, Please leaves the room a damn site hotter than it was when I first entered.
Flexing their brand of punk rock, Concrete Surfers strike out with 'Control' giving us a taste of their brand of high-energy performance. Good, wholesome sonic grit exuding from the guitars and pulsating pound of the drums has fans and new ones dancing on the spot.
Continuing with sing-along number 'Never Understood' followed by 'Friends' before a bit of dialogue with the crowd by Jovi Brook (vocals, guitar) is followed by the raw, anthemic edginess of 'Miscommunication'.
Not happy with Jovi only doing a stubby chug, punters down the front are calling for a shoey! Of course, they are. They are told: "Nah. Can't do it. . . Did one last week." One of the punters volunteered to do it for him. . . and they did!
Concrete Surfers - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Jovi, like a seasoned pro, strums his strings with precision and attacks the mic with a savage vocal intensity; I just wish his mix was turned up a fraction more.
The energy of the band is infectious as Jovi's brother Jamie Brook (drums), Sean Foster (guitar) and Trent Courtenay (bass) simply go off, playing it tight through the old and new tunes including 'Eat The Rich' and 'On The Fence', to the hardcore thrasher 'Again And Again' that has punters bouncing and head-banging to its dark deep groove.
Brook's intense screams on the outro of 'Shattered Thoughts' are so forceful I'm almost frightened by them. It is, however, the perfect handover for the thrash party tones of 'Goonjuice'. A perfect closing tune that finishes off the crowd leaving them heaving and well-lubricated for the onslaught of DZ Deathrays.
Concrete Surfers are loud, chaotic, blatant fun with some seriousness thrown in for those wanting to discover it.
The Triffid's old WWII aircraft hangar is now packed to the rafters with punters jostling for the best spots to receive their punk rock thrashing from headliners DZ Deathrays.
Shane Parsons (vocals and guitar) and Simon Ridley (drums) were a duo when they released the 'Black Rat' album, but tonight they play as an awesome foursome.
Touring guitarist Lachlan Ewbank now a staple making the duo a trio brings fretboard skills aplenty and, Luke Henery of Violent Soho adds his audacious bass playing and stage persona, both men adding to the dynamics and instrumental depth of DZs.
DZ Deathrays - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The venue lights dim while Andrea Bocelli (possibly 'Con te partiro') plays over the speakers, Ewbank carefully lobs a few cans of liquid gold to lucky punters in the crowd as the rest of band casually prepare to hook into the title track 'Black Rat'. Fans erupt into a frenzy with the first chords and immediately start singing along loudly.
What a monstrous welcome for the lads – the kind that lets you know you are in for a very special night. I know instantly this is the remedy I needed. Parsons may be too far at the side of stage IMO, but his command of fans from the mic stand is just as powerful. Besides there's more room for Ewbanks and Henery to sling their axes and hair about and we get to watch Ridley go to town on his kit.
Backing up the big, bold ending of 'Black Rat' is the huge badass banger that scored DZs a sh.tload of fans – 'Gina Works At Hearts'. We are in an indulgent state of euphoria as the mean riffs and poppy hooks are unleashed to fall about our ears. A gift from Apollo himself. A classic DZ track and fans put on their best garage rock moves. As its end is approaching, we give the best damn "ahh, ahhs" that have bounced off The Triffid's hangar lining EVER!
Next is the insurgence of 'Less Out Of Sync' and Ewbank and Henery both move to the front of the stage to yell right along with us as we belt out the words. Parsons is grinning ear to ear by the end of it, clearly pleased with the interaction in the room.
We now wallow in glee to the hammering funk groove of 'Reflective Skull' and we are singing with our best voices to the moody score of 'Keep Myself On Edge' cheering boisterously at its conclusion.
The slow burner 'Northern Lights' leads the way for the overt disco funk slinkiness of 'Nightwalking' played before 'Fixations'. The DZ choir finds more decibels and the band's phenomenal chemistry is off the charts. I feel the electricity envelope me as the heavy intro to 'Ocean Exploder' implodes. We get a second to catch our breath and clap it in for the band.
Lunging into the next part, crowd surfers emerge and Ewbank and Parsons send us into air guitar hysterics with insane riffage while Henery continues his mission to become the first human bass-playing wind turbine!
DZ Deathrays - image © Clea-marie Thorne
'Tonight Alright' is played before the album and set closer 'Night Slave', which has us dancing to the electro-disco onslaught that is ricocheting around the venue.
Of course we are getting an encore and it starts with OGs Parsons and Ridley giving us 'Gebbie Street' as duo. The house choir is going off big time. At the end Parsons is reminding Ewbanks and Henery they are needed back onstage, yelling out: "Guys! Work has not finished yet!"
Henery returns with a beer hat on his head (it didn't stay there long) and Parsons tells us they did not play this next song last night and the crowd erupt with cheers for 'Like People'. A chant sing-along ensues. Fans are giving their all, screaming the lyrics back at the band with unbridled enthusiasm.
DZ Deathrays - image © Clea-marie Thorne
'Paranoid' has Henery realising that turbine potential. His hair whirls and flicks are creating mini cyclones in the smoke that fills the room, but it is not all about the hair right? His bass playing is spectacular, jumps have been hardcore. He and Ridley are like thunder and lightning and keep the pulse and energy right above where it needs to be. A freaking match made in heaven.
We are then screaming headfirst into 'Shred For Summer', which must be the closing banger and what a bloody lovely choice (pun, totally intended). The ocean of bodies transitions between moshing and head-banging sways.
Fans are drawing strength from the tumultuous energy accumulated in the room and cut loose. Killer riffage has us hot and bothered leaving us all but spent. Got a cigarette? Wink, wink.
Oh, I got it wrong! We are told the original tour guitarist, Mitchell 'Mood' Gregory is joining the band for a jam fest. We stay in our place to experience the five-piece give a blistering version of 'Gina Works At Hearts'.
This one may be for old times' sake for the lads, but devoted fans are reaping the rewards of one last blast of glorious explosive chaos – the kind you only get at a live DZ punk gig. A band and crowd shot are taken, although all I can see is the DZ backdrop and a sea of hands, forearms and phones.
DZ Deathrays - image © Clea-marie Thorne
DZ Deathrays go just as hard as they did a decade ago, serving up another killer gig and a set list that cements why we love DZs music and how relevant DZs continue to be in the world of thrash punk, garage rock, and live shows in general.
Tonight was quite the punk & roll ride I needed. DZ Deathrays. One of Aussie's best homegrown acts and international exports. If I could buy shares in DZ, you can bet your bottom dollar that YOU couldn't. NO way I'd sell those puppies.
More photos from the show.
