DZ Deathrays

Without a doubt, Australian two-piece, DZ Deathrays are one of the most hotly talked about bands of 2011. They have spent the last year touring USA and UK, playing festivals such as SXSW, The Great Escape and SWN Festival. They’ve toured the UK with New York punk outfit Cerebral Ballzy and supported Band of Skulls at their sold out show in London as well as joining the Emerge NME Radar tour.

As is apparent, DZ Deathrays like to keep busy, and it certainly hasn’t allen on deaf ears. The response to he band has been overwhelming, garnering huge support from BBC, NME, rtrocker, Q Magazine, Abeano nd many more. Barely even a month has gone by since these releases, and hey are already getting tarted on their debut album due out early next year. Produced by Richard ike of PVT, it’s looking to be ne of the most anticipated albums of 2012. has been an incredible year for the band, but one is left wondering –what is this band’s story? Where did hey come from?

DZ DEATHRAYS consists of only two parts, that being Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley. While it may be hard for some to comprehend a mere two piece with the ability to create a massive wall of sound, this is a feat which DZ DEATHRAYS have been able to conquer with results fashioned from a statically charged mix of influences like Death From Above 1979, The Bronx, Justice, Sunn 0)) and Lightning Bolt. With this combination of musical mentors as ammunition, they create a blend of driving monster beats firing over an avalanche of guitar similar to the sound of a squadron of attacking Panzer tanks. In Australia, buzz has been brewing for this band over the past couple of years, and it was only a matter of time before it reached critical mass. The band has had two releases since the end of 2009. The first EP being ‘DZ Ruined My Life’ (Useless Art / Inertia) and the second and most recent EP being ‘Brutal Tapes’ (I OH YOU), a mix of studio and house party recordings as well as some remixes from Yacht Club DJs and Surecut Kids. They have toured Aus with Crystal Castles, Dananananaykroyd,Ratatat, The View, Biffy Clyro, The Temper Trap, as well as festivals such as Big Day Out, Parklife, Field Day, Sunset Sounds, Playground Weekender and many more.

The band was ‘Unearthed’ by triple j in 2009 and they were shortlisted for two separate competitions for Tooheys Extra Dry, in particular the Ted The Lab competition where they received runners-up and received personal kudos from Mark Ronson, saying he ‘loved’ the band. With the band’s success, word in Australia continues to snowball. Over the coming months, they will be touring the country with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Crystal Castles (again) and Laneway Festival. Not bad, for a band designed for playing drunken house parties in Brisbane. DZ DEATHRAYS may have moved on to larger prospects, but that refreshingly palatable gritty indie sound still prevails. Armed with the additional blinding flashes of strobe lighting, the smell of sweat and alcohol and with a taste for mayhem and carnage, their live shows are a treat for all of the senses.

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