It seems like DZ Deathrays are always on the road. In their short three-year career they’ve played a mountain of shows (touring over 15 countries, including extensive US and European runs) supported acclaimed acts such as Children Collide and Crystal Castles nationally, and have been a part of a range of Australian music festivals.
Despite all this, it seems their ever-growing fanbase simply can’t get enough of the thrash duo. Consequently it was no surprise that Adelaide’s fantastically small but pumping Rocket Bar was at capacity for their entire show.
Up first were Adelaide’s very own take on thrash rock – Kids With Teeth. You could ask whether it’s a blessing or a curse to bill a band who take so much influence from the headliners, but the local duo nonetheless killed it with the growing crowd.
Their guitar work, tight vocal harmonies, and references to Backstreet Boys lyrics only lifted the enjoyment of the set even higher.
Much the same could be said for the next act Archers, who have been busy touring nationally off the back of their debut EP What Birds Think. Though they had a lighter sound, the five-piece still managed to pack a punch. Fusing riff-driven post-rock with awesome indie pop melodies, the band ably drew in the majority of the crowd.
While DZ Deathrays were setting up their equipment, Rocket Bar’s resident DJs confidently conducted the dancefloor with tracks like Thee Oh Sees’ “The Dream” and Japandroids’ “The House That Heaven Built”, making sure the night was a bursting celebration throughout.
Knowing that Rocket Bar is just as much an indie club as it is a music venue, it was hard to decipher whether the majority of the crowd were there to see the live acts or purely for the resident DJs and positive atmosphere.
Coated in darkness with the only glow coming from dim stage lights, the rockers started their performance with “Cops Capacity”. As soon as the explosive chorus hit, paired with a flash of lights triggered by the band, the entire centre of the room jumped as though struck by lightning. So much so that there wasn’t a mosh pit within the crowd – the mosh pit was the crowd.
The energy simply didn’t stop, with security becoming more and more agitated as hoards of people pushed onto the two-foot-tall stage, coming dangerously close to guitarist Shane Parsons’ extensive pedal collection. Witty comments by both band members citing how glad they were “that security are already having such a good time,” only added to how comically raucous the night had become.
Fuelled by the energetic tracks that followed, including “No Sleep”, “Gebbie Street”, “The Mess Up”, and a stellar new track that Parsons announced will have a place on the next release, the charged-up crowd had spilled enough vodka, coke, and beer to completely lubricate the dark floor, turning the mosh pit into an ice rink.
With the crowd pulling energy from all fronts, the encore-free show finished with top hit “Dollar Chills” to leave fans itching for more.
Overall, even though the night was definitely not for the faint of heart, it was filled with the indicators of success: boozy Triple J fanatics, lost shoes, and ripped clothing. DZ Deathrays once again lived up to their reputation for throwing a fantastic party wherever they play.
