DZ Deathrays at Adelaide Hall - Concert Pictures

Australian thrash-dance-punk band DZ Deathrays put on a great performance at Adelaide Hall in Toronto on July 15. Photographer Roy Cohen captured these photos of the band.

New DZ Deathrays tunes from forthcoming Black Rat album

DZ Deathrays have a new album, Black Rat, coming out May 2. We already heard "Northern Lights" and now we get to check out "Gina Works At Hearts". This is a heavier, pounding riff-fest. Looking forward to seeing these guys live again...

New DZ Deathrays track Northern Lights

I caught DZ Deathrays back in September 2012 opening for the incredible Blood Red Shoes at The Drake Underground. They impressed with their grimy guitar and drums assault and had some good tunes to boot.

They've got a new album coming out in 2014 and they've released the first single, "Northern Lights", to whet our appetites. They describe it as, "A slower number kinda like the calm before the storm." I think I hear them developing their own unique sound, too.

Blood Red Shoes and DZ Deathrays at The Drake Underground in Toronto

I don't get out to nearly as many shows as I would like to. Every time I do, I think to myself that I should get out more often. I'm resolving to do a better job of that. Let's see how that works out for me.

The most recent show that I attended was last Wednesday, September 26 at The Drake Underground in Toronto. The bill was England's Blood Red Shoes with Australia's DZ Deathrays opening. They're both guitar-drums duos that continue to make me wish that my old band had gone for a two-guitar and drums configuration over the frustration of looking for bassists. When I walked in, I saw DZ Deathrays' drummer sitting behind the merch table and almost said, "Hey, I've seen you puke on YouTube!" Somehow I held myself back.

DZ Deathrays hit the stage to a small but enthusiastic crowd. They did a great job belting out their heavy alternative sounds, which they acknowledge can be compared to DFA 1979. Singer and guitarist Shane Parsons uses his voice and guitar effects to great advantage to thicken out the duo's sound. The bombast and heavy cymbal use of drummer Simon Ridley did the same. The songs are fun and have enough hooks to reel in a listener largely unfamiliar with their tunes. DZ Deathrays' album Bloodstreams is out now.

By the time Blood Red Shoes hit the stage, The Drake Underground had filled up considerably, although I don't know that the show was sold out. I was actually surprised that on their third great album, Blood Red Shoes wasn't selling out much bigger venues. Singer Laura-Mary Carter mentioned that the last time they played Toronto, there were only about 10 people at the show.

They belted through a set that spanned their three album history pretty evenly, keeping the energy level high and all our heads bobbing. I was happy to hear some of my favourites like set opener "It's Getting Boring by the Sea" and "You Bring Me Down" from their first album Box of Secrets, "Don't Ask", "Light It Up" and "Heartsink" from their 2010 release Fire Like This, and "Cold" from their latest In Time To Voices.

If you're not familiar with these awesome bands, check out some tunes below.

From Blood Red Shoes:

"Cold"

"Heartsink"

"Don't Ask"

"Light It Up"

"It's Getting Boring by the Sea"

"You Bring Me Down"

From DZ Deathrays:

"Dollar Chills"

"Gebbie St"

"No Sleep"

"The Mess Up" Jager!!!

"Rad Solar"

"Yeah"

"Blue Blood"

"Play Till You're Dead"

The photos in this post are original pics by me, not the usual professional pics stolen from some other web site. You can tell the difference original art (and a POS BlackBerry camera) makes.

Off to see Blood Red Shoes and DZ Deathrays

Tonight is the Blood Red Shoes / DZ Deathrays show at the Drake Underground here in Toronto. Looking forward to a loud night out...

Here are the latest clips from Blood Red Shoes' latest album, In Time To Voices.

"Lost Kids"

"Je Me Perds"

If you like, check out the other posts where I mention BRS.

And here are a couple from DZ Deathrays, who I just discovered.

"Dollar Chills"

"The Mess Up"

Bet you can't wait for my horrific photos from the gig...