Live Review: DZ Deathrays, PUP, Ali Barter

It’s hard to believe it’s already been one decade of DZ Deathrays, and if anyone knows how to throw a birthday party, it’s Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley. The city glitters under a cold snap, and waves of weed smoke flow along Russell Street - it seems the party has started well before admittance to the venue is granted. A weary security guard shines a torch in our handbags sighing, “You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve pulled out of bags tonight.” If she’s been pulling things out of bags all night, taking even the most cursory of glances around the room is testament to what managed to slip through. 

Yacht Club DJs brought the party in between sets by supports Press Club, Ali Barter, and PUP, providing throbbing beats in front of a house party-themed backdrop. They keep punters moving as the room fills rapidly and Ali Barter quietly takes the stage. One of Australia’s most important female voices, Barter plays a well-paced and enjoyable set dotted with singles from 2017’s exquisite A Suitable Girl. Cigarette burns with frustration, and Girlie Bits is a sweet-sounding “fuck you”. Barter also treats the crowd to a couple of new tunes, which are embraced warmly.

Having never seen Canadian punks PUP before, this writer is in the minority. The band sets the controls to froth and the audience immediately follows suit. Emotive, ferocious, and brutal, PUP perform a jaw-dropping set that muscles them from support to co-headliner. Sleep In The Heat seems to have everyone in the entire place singing along, and security have their work cut out for them trying to catch a hail of crowd surfers. Guitars wail like air raid sirens during The Coast, and a punter sprints across the stage and into the steaming pit. “Whoever’s throwing joints on the stage please continue,” says frontman Stefan Babcock, counting four at his feet. If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will shreds the ceiling, and by the end of PUP’s set they have completely conquered the room. They receive the biggest, most rabid reception of the night.

Post PUP, things are starting to get visibly messy. Punters soaked with sweat, clutching tissues to their bloody noses, and more than a few missing one or both shoes stumble out of the mosh looking shell-shocked. By the time DZ Deathrays take the stage, the crowd seems to be spent. The sound seems a little off during opener Teenage Kickstarts, though those in the circle pit don’t seem to notice. Some mad bastard has somehow managed to sneak a giant red umbrella past security and waves it until he is tackled, both punter and umbrella disappearing quickly. Blood On My Leather is an early favourite, with frontman Shane Parsons' signature scream jittering around the room, and Simon Radley’s popcorn drums exploding. Guitarist Lachlan Ewbank flies across the stage, shredding behind a wall of long dark hair. For whatever reason, the crowd response so far is a tad sluggish straight off the blocks. There are pockets of moshing, but in comparison to the frenetic response to PUP, punters just don’t seem to be as loose as a usual DZ show.

Things pick up for Reflective Skull, and the band treat hardcore fans with Dumb It Down, a rarely (if ever) played cut from Bloodstreams brimming with 4am post party angst. Pollyanna is an aural chainsaw impossible not to get dancey (or gloriously messy) to. Unfortunately as the hour gets later and the beers and god knows what else kicks in, the urge to be a dropkick becomes overwhelming to some - shout out to the pocket of fuckwits throwing cups at anyone who stands in front of them; you’re the dregs that ruin a good night for everyone. May your beers always be delivered with a cigarette butt floating in them. “You paid just as much money as anyone else, fuck off,” snaps a woman in a cherry-red beret, and the cup throwers stop instantly.

By the home stretch, the audience seems to have finally woken up and Gina Works At Hearts is a beer-throwing, limb-cracking belter, as is Like People. The band leaves the stage for a couple of minutes, before coming back for an encore. Punters rally their final energy reserves for evergreen fave Cops/Capacity, and then lose their collective shit completely for Shred For Summer.

It’s been a long night, and perhaps the crowd going too hard too early turned down the usual mayhem that is a DZ Deathrays show. However, that is no fault of the band. Catering to fans both old and new, the set covered all bases and no one leaves disappointed; it’s simply not possible to leave a DZ show without at least a solid buzz.

Congratulations on ten huge years DZ, and here’s to the next party.