Show Review: Bass Drum of Death @ The Mohawk (7/10)

I like the new Red7. I really do. But there are only so many purple pics I can edit before going cross-eyed. For this show, I was back at the friendly confines of The Mohawk where all are welcome. Ahh, green, red, blue and plain ole off-white – The openers, La Migra, even decided to do an uplit by light bulb thing. I cranked up the ISO and had a whisky, pinky-raised.

Bass Drum of Death with DZ Deathrays in support, nary a bass guitar in sight for the latter two-thirds of the evening’s program. Plenty of familiar faces braved the crap weather and gave the Indoors arena a human temperature level.

More words and pics, of course, that way. ->

La Migra wasn’t on my radar for this show; not sure if they were a last minute add, but it was a nice one. Using the lights stolen from dorm rooms (I made that up), they put on a solid set of jams and sported the only bass guitar of the night. Best pics of the show (IMHO), so my perception of their set may be skewed. They did draw the early crowd in.

DZ Deathrays was next. I have seen some clean pedal boards in my time at the edge of the stage, but Shane Parsons’ set up was sweet. And necessary. His guitar’s output is sent through to a guitar stack and a bass amp, using effects to drive both but in the different registers for the big live sound. Add in pile driver percussion from Simon Ridley, you have a two-piece that melts many larger productions. The boys form Brisbane killed.

Bass Drum of Death last played The Mohawk in my presence on the outside stage opening for Toro Y Moi (?) to a crowd that honestly didn’t get it. This was their people. I was bracing for mayhem, but instead got controlled insanity. No, nothing destructive, nothing crazy, just jams. New material blended into tracks from the previous effort, eliciting a “sweet, GB CITY!!!” prematurely. Too many familiar faces littered the crowd, Bass Drum might consider setting up shop in Austin.

There are a few more pics at the photo site…