Death From Above 1979
Date: December 6, 2004 Now That It's Over Four months after delivering an impressively powerful set at Zaphod's, Death From Above 1979 returned to Ottawa for a show at Babylon. Since August, the band had released their debut full-length CD, earning a ton of positive press and adding to their buzz. Although I believe that their energy level was equal at both concerts, my increased familiarity with the group and the more frantic crowd made for a superior experience. Although a line-up change saw AIDS Wwolf and Robot Kill City added to the bill, my late arrival coupled with a surprisingly prompt Babylon start time caused me to miss the former act. Robot Kill City were very spirited and noisy, although the effectiveness of their guitar-heavy set was somewhat hampered by tentative song transitions. Overall, though, they set a fun, upbeat tone. In contrast to Robot Kill City's somewhat awkward transitions, Panthers tore through their set with a polished sense of control, despite the chaos in their music. My sole complaint is that even after a lengthy sound check, the vocals were muddy and remained buried in the mix. However, the instrumentation more than made up for that deficiency. Playing under muted stage lights, with a video projected over them, the band was visually obscured. This effect discouraged the audience from focusing on individual players, helping the intricately layered music to connect as a dense wall of sound. Panthers blitzed through their songs at a great pace, aggressively setting the stage for the headliners. While the early portion of the evening reminded me what Babylon feels like with a full floor, it was Death From Above 1979 that finally set the masses into motion. The crush of bodies at the front of the club was as much a part of the experience as was the band on stage, with the all ages format likely adding to the energy level of the crowd. A few people were perhaps a bit too aggro (I believe that I saw one gentleman accept another's offer to step to the back and discuss their differences); but the music of Death From Above certainly demands a loud, sweaty, active response. The band provoked a response even when not playing, with bassist Jesse Keeler calling out a concert-goer who had disrespected him at the merchandise table earlier in the night and drummer Sebastien Grainger taunting an impatient fan with shouts of, "Where's your band?" Despite the confrontational atmosphere and the aggressive sounds, the overall mood was pure fun. The majority of You're a Woman, I'm a Machine made it into the mix, with highlights including "Turn It Out," "Black History Month," "Romantic Rights" (with assistance from the Panthers drummer), and "Little Girl" (dedicated to Grainger's niece). Although a few short months ago, Death From Above 1979 was unknown to me, they've vaulted into the ranks of my most anticipated live acts. Fortunately, my second exposure to the group lived up to my increased expectations and left me eager for their next concert. <--Prev (Pixies) | Next (Joel Plaskett Experience)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |