DZ

Lo-fi garage rockers Sleepwalks open tonight's bill. The music is no-frills and the songs are brief affairs, spared the frivolity of intros and outros. The sound lacks the incessant drone that would push them into noise rock territory, but frontman Kevin Fincham's raucous vocals certainly help guide it in that direction. With the ability to alternate guitarist and drummer, they enjoy greater potential for variation than the typical noise rocker - definitely something these three Brisbane lads should explore more, if they plan to play for over 25 minutes at a time.



Ears still ringing, the night’s first big mystery is trying to work out exactly how many members Velociraptor have performing. Finally, once all 12(!) members have made their way onstage the party can begin. Their dapper retro dress code complements their boisterous 60s & 70s rock sound and opening number 'Hey Susanne' is reminiscent of early Little Red, if Little Red had six guitars, at least four or five backing vocalists and a minimum of two tambourines going at any one time. A closer inspection also reveals DZ drummer Simon Ridley in the back row with a bass.



One wonders whether all of those guitars are truly necessary, but when they get their strumming and drumming working in unison, the sound is truly impressive. Their set goes from the stomping heavy 'Sleep With The Fishes' to the surprisingly sedate 'Riot' and even includes their own take on the Batman theme song. With this many boisterous musicians on stage at any one time, there is bound to be chaos, but they do manage to control it. Just.



With a brief moment to stow his bass away, Ridley is back behind the drums with the other half of DZ: guitarist and vocalist Shane Parsons. Not that you can tell - the slow strobe and smoke machine have obscured the stage and for those of us donning the kaleidoscope glasses handed out in the interval, all that’s visible are bursts of colour as the grinding riffs and thrashing cymbals take hold. Fundraising for a US tour, DZ’s strength is the vast sound the duo can generate. Amidst the crowdsurfers and occasional stagedive the audience clap along, but it’s almost impossible to make the sound out over Parson’s wails and mile-thick licks.



As visually arresting as it is sonically, the strobe use warning signs plastered about are no joke – especially when coupled with the strips of dazzling LEDs and the laserlight knifing through the smoke. The boys finish, appropriately with a new track – 'The Party' – as the smoke billows, lasers fire and the drumkit cops a thrashing. It’s not enough though; they are called back for an encore, and respond with a final few minutes of instrumental mayhem soaked in reverb and distortion before Ridley rounds his night out with a leap into the crowd as the feedback takes over.

by Nils Hay

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