Looking back, there’s no doubt in saying that DZ Deathrays have come a hell of a long way. Since their coruscating 2012 debut Bloodstreams, the Brisbane thrash duo have been selling out venues across the country and overseas. On the back of their sophomore release and after an extensive UK tour, DZ have returned to Australia to charm and delight audiences – particularly at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel.
Their largest show in Melbourne to date, Shane Parsons, Simon Ridley and their explosive sound were in full bloom on Friday night.
Opening act Foam were a good choice, a slick, tight mirror image of Nirvana. Pumping out tunes of pure angst and grunge, the long-haired boys from WA were successful in warming up the continually building crowd.
Palms were next, and by then the crowd had grown substantially. The crowd was absolutely buzzing, predominately composed of young long-haired hooligans who moshed to any of the indie-pop musings that drifted out of the array of amps littering the stage.
When DZ took to the stage, you could feel intrigue lingering in the air. It’s a mystery that a band comprising of only two blokes can create a sound that feels like at least five people set up, but it’s absolutely incredible.
This homecoming tour carried a lot of expectation, and there was no doubt that expectations would most likely be exceeded in the space of an hour. ’Cops / Capacity’ sent the crowd into a frenzy, simultaneous chants of “east say cops, west say capacity”growing to the point where people were losing their voices as it filled the intimate venue.
Beer and shoes were the main projectiles, as the once tame crowd soon turned into a sea of thrashing, sweaty bodies. ‘Dollar Chills’was met with a substantial amount of crowd surfers and stage divers – as was ‘Gebbie Street’, ‘No Sleep’, and practically any track from their debut. Their new material was received just as well, with ’Gina Works At Hearts’being the star of the night – a clear indication that the Australian population received Black Rat as well as the boys had hoped.
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The DZ boys are also infamous for their prodigious light show – something that was on full display the entire evening. Multi-coloured lights and excessive strobe were intense, sometimes a little over the top, but it became clear that it was created as the perfect companion to their tracks.
Some bands are meant for small stages, others meant for festivals. DZ Deathrays are to be commended for being that brilliant combination of both – absolutely destroying it on a festival stage and in a tiny, intimate band room or house.
Bone-chilling and absolutely reveling, the combative duo of Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley are a forced not to be reckoned with. This tour’s a fair indication Australia have missed these boys – and after the release of Black Rat, you can be sure there’s some fucking big things ahead.
