Live Review: DZ Deathrays w/ Von Villains, Yes Sir Noceur & TRAPDOOR @ Miami Tavern

Blood, sweat, and beer: Three fundamentals of any DZ Deathrays’ gig. This was no different when the Brisbane duo hit up the Gold Coast’s Shark Bar for…well, no particular reason. If they want to put on a sell-out show for no other motivation than “just because we can”, then who’s to stop them? Not the hundreds of eager punters that filled the room to it’s capacity that’s for sure! Anyway, what resulted was a slushied mess of limbs, hair, sweat, blood and let’s be honest, probably vomit, as the crowd lost their minds to the rowdy AF sound of DZ Deathrays.

Before DZ’s hit the stage however, there was a whopping three other local bands to take the spotlight. Over the four hour gig there was a steady increase of chaos that would end up in a near goddamn explosion. Starting out the mini-riot was local band TRAPDOOR. Lead by what appears to be a man who is part lion, the 5-piece had the crowd moshing from the get go.

“Half the fun of a DZ Deathrays concert is wondering if you will make it out alive.”

With dirty bass lines, punchy licks, and gritty vocals from frontman Tim Appleby, they certainly proved their worth as openers for DZ Deathrays. A little bit Black Sabbath, a little bit Pearl Jam, these guys have a seriously cool ol’ skool sound!

Following this with some serious surf rock vibes was Yes Sir Noceur. If you’re in the mood for some light hearted head banging then this is the band for you. Their lush guitars and Anthony Keidis-esque vocals (but like, more Stadium Arcadium and less Dani California) was the perfect ball of sound to rock out to. Seriously, there’s no way you couldn’t have fun seeing these guys.

As the third band of the night, Von Villains emerged to a slightly sloppy crowd. But of course, everyone still had the legs to jump around to their gritty sound. Like a grungy hybrid baby of Arctic Monkeys and a heavier sound like Queens of the Stone Age, these guys produce great music to either enthusiastically flail or strut to. Their triple j unearthed description of sounding “like a soggy loaf of wholemeal hitting a hardwood floor” simply does not do them justice…

With three hours of boogs and beer under their belt, it was surprising that the crowd could stand by the time DZ Deathrays took the stage. This was when things took another level though. Half the fun of a DZ Deathrays concert is wondering if you will make it out alive. That sounds like an exaggeration, but when the floor is covered in a combination of questionable fluids of which blood and beer is most definitely a component, it does hold some truth.

“He rose like a bloodied, profusely sweating jesus with a hell of a lot of arm strength.”

Launching into a flurry of sound that’s nothing but loud and fast, the mosh pit became a mass blob of hair, spit and sweat. It was like that episode of The Simpsons where the good people of Springfield attempt to make it into the record books with the world’s tallest human pyramid, but it collapses and turns into a giant ball of people instead. Except in this version everyone has incredibly long hair, it’s really dark and Blood On My Leather is playing.

Above: Accurate depiction of DZ Deathrays mosh

Some real highlights included when the boys carted out their brand new single Pollyanna. With its chunky bass line, whizz bang guitar riffs, and infectious vocals from Shane Parson, it’s the perfect song for slamming into a wall of strangers. Not to mention, its soaring chorus provided the perfect soundtrack for a number of death circles.

It’s worth pointing out that if you were just looking towards the stage, you would really miss out on some of the true spectacles. Like the guy who was lifted up so high by the crowd that he could hang onto the ceiling and head bang. He rose like a bloodied, profusely sweating jesus with a hell of a lot of arm strength.

The proverbial dam burst however at the opening notes of everyone’s favourite DZ track, Gina Works At Hearts. At this point if you weren’t covered in undistinguishable liquid and had half a beer bottle embedded into your shoe, were you even at the show? The DZ lads looked stoked as they played to their very special crowd of thrashing mop heads. The great part about these crowds is, though they are rough as guts, they truly adore the two blokes on stage.

All in all, it was a great show of Aussie talent. Many people may say rock isn’t like what it used to be, or has ceased to exist all together. But when you have a band like DZ Deathrays, that statement just really doesn’t hold up. For those of you who missed out don’t worry your pretty little hairy heads, DZ Deathrays will be touring in December (they’re bringing Ecca Vandal with them so like, get on that sh*t ASAP).

Honestly though, kudos to whoever had to clean that mess up. That was a lot of shattered glass…

Check out our review of DZ Deathrays’ latest single Pollyanna HERE

DZ Deathrays ‘Pollyanna’ National Tour
supported by Ecca Vandal

FRI 9 DEC
The Triffid, Brisbane (All Ages)
SAT 10 DEC
YMCA HQ, Leedervile WA (Under 18s -Matinee Show)
SAT 10 DEC
Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth
THURS 15 DEC
The Factory, Sydney (All Ages)
FRI 16 DEC
Uni Bar, Adelaide (All Ages)
SAT 17 DEC
The Croxton, Melbourne (Under 18s – Matinee Show)
SAT 17 DEC
The Croxton, Melbourne

Get Tickets HERE