Hailing from the land down under, DZ Deathrays are a band to keep tabs on. From humble beginnings of playing house shows in Brisbane to their current tour in the US with Bass Drum of Death, DZ Deathrays are starting to cause quite the stir in the party rock genre. But trust me, this ain’t LMFAO. Their music is the perfect gateway into a night of alcohol-fueled debauchery; the kind where drinking whiskey out of the bottle is perfectly acceptable. I had the opportunity to speak with Simon Ridley, one half of DZ Deathrays, with expectations of a stereotypical Aussie accent of those from Outback commercials or something, but his was hardly detectable.
Briana Henry: How did DZ Deathrays come about?
Simon Ridley: We grew up in the same town, it started off as a three-piece, but our drummer left. And… wow, it’s been the two of us together for the past four years. We just started booking our own shows and touring everywhere.
Simply answering with “a rock show” when asked what the seemingly new audience can expect from their live show, I felt like he had a take it or leave it kind of attitude which is a variable in a balanced formula for any good band.
Citing Motley Crue as an influence for the band, and also recommending that I read Motley Crue: The Dirt, I am excited and am fully prepared to have my ears bleed from the noise these two are known to bring with them.
Here is a memorable music video from their EP, titled “The Mess Up”:
The full length album, titled Bloodstreams, which will include songs from the EP, was recently released and is available at dzdeathrays.com. Notable songs are “Gebbie Street” and my personal favorite, “No Sleep”.
From all of the reviews and fan videos of past performances, I am only coming into their show tonight at The Basement with the knowledge that it will be loud as fuck. A review of this show will be provided on Thursday.
Band photo by Melissa Tan.
